Space interests me and I wonder how even light can disappear into a black hole.
Asker: Thomas, 8 years old
Answer
Dear Tomas
The correct answer is by the gravity of the black hole. Running has nothing to do with it. All celestial bodies have an escape velocity, the speed you need to ‘escape’ from the surface. With black holes, this speed is enormous, even greater than the speed of light. That is why the light does not get away from it and we speak of a “black” hole.
Answered by
ir. David De Wolf
Science communication, biotechnology, web design & usability, …
university of Ghent
http://www.ugent.be
.