- Some black holes could be wormholes, and the difference is in the gamma radiation.
- Luminous, supermassive black holes called active galactic nuclei (AGN) could really be wormholes.
- The two cosmic objects emit totally different radiation signatures.
Some scientists believe black holes aren’t all the same—and that some are really wormholes. To find out, we’ll need a way to tell the difference with certainty.
In a new paper, Russian scientists posit that the right blast of gamma radiation could reveal wormholes in black hole disguise.
How would a black hole wormhole work? The answer is actually relatively simple, and it also reveals why such a wormhole would have a detectable physical “tell.” Space's Charles Q. Choi explains:
“Any matter falling into a mouth of a supermassive wormhole would likely travel at extraordinarily high speeds due to its powerful gravitational fields. The scientists modeled the consequences of matter flowing through both mouths of a wormhole to where these mouths meet, the wormhole's "throat." The result of such collisions are spheres of plasma expanding out both mouths of the wormhole at nearly the speed of light, the researchers said.”
This “outburst,” in the literal sense, is what scientists can look for. “The spheres of plasma from wormholes can reach temperatures of about 18 trillion degrees Fahrenheit (10 trillion degrees Celsius),” Choi writes. “At such heat, the plasma would produce gamma rays with energies of 68 million electronvolts.”
This radiation signature is distinct from even the most powerful and radiative known kinds of black holes. Because of that, the “fingerprint” could immediately tell scientists they were looking into a wormhole.
This part is important, because the theory of black holes as wormholes overlaps with one specific kind of black hole: the active galactic nucleus (AGN), which is gigantic and extraordinarily powerful.
AGNs give centers of galaxies their trademark brightness, hence the name, and scientists have argued about their true nature for a long time. “The underlying hypothesis of this work is that the active galactic nuclei are wormhole mouths rather than supermassive black holes,” the researchers explain.
🔭 The Best Telescopes for Stargazing
The 7 Best Telescopes For Stargazing
Gskyer AZ Astronomical Refractor Telescope
With more than 19,000 reviews on Amazon and a 4.4/5 rating, it's not hard to see why the Gskyer telescope is a fan favorite. This option features a 70mm aperture and fully coated optimal lenses to offer a crisp, clear view of the night's sky. Tech savvy stargazers will appreciate wireless remote, smart phone adapter, and the additional Barlow lens that triples the magnification of each eye piece. Thanks to its adjustable, aluminum alloy tripod, this telescope is suitable for every member of the family.
If you're looking for a telescope for kids, or if you're a beginner, this HEXEUM model is a high-quality choice. It comes with an 70mm aperture, plus two eyepieces at 10mm and 25mm each. You'll particularly love that this telescope comes with a phone adapter, which means you can attach your phone to the eyepiece and finally get an amazing photo of the night sky.
ECOOPRO 70mm Astronomy Refractor Telescope
Easy to set up and compact, this telescope comes with a 70mm aperture, two eye pieces, a finder scope, and a tripod. Perfect for astrology or even bird watching, you can set it up on a tabletop with the tripod set to 15 inches, or extend the legs as long as 47 inches. It also comes with a map of the moon and stars for easy reference.
ESSLNB's telescope is a great choice for kids or beginners. It features a built-in reversing lens, which means that none of the images you see will ever be upside down. Its 70mm lens gives you a wide range of vision, and the telescope's brightness makes everything easy to see. Plus, you can connect your phone and finally take a decent picture of the night sky.
Emarth Telescope
Beginner stargazers will find a lot to love about Emarth's Telescope. Using it is easy: All you need to do is point the tube in the direction of the desired object and take a gander. With two high-quality eyepieces (70mm and 360mm) that provide low- and high-power views of celestial objects, you'll be able to satisfy your stargazing wishes with ease.
NASA Lunar Telescope for Kids
Consider NASA Lunar Telescope the perfect option for avid adventurers or kids who are yearning to spontaneously stargaze. Clocking in at a little over two pounds, this option is lightweight enough to stow in the trunk of your car. This telescope features a multi-coated, extra-low dispersion optical glass to ensure you'll score a clear, perfectly contrasted view of the night's sky.
Celestron 70mm Refractor Telescope
Great for beginners (and priced accordingly), this option features a wide, 70 millimeter aperture that will make stars and constellations appear bright and clear. With two eyepieces—10mm to 20mm—it's suitable for a range of stargazing experiences. Download the SkyPortal app to help you find specific sites, or use Celestron's Starry Night software—both are free. To top it off, the telescope comes with a tripod, a finder scope, and a backpack to carry it all.
AGNs aren't well understood, with qualities of supermassive black holes mixed with extreme brightness. They’re broken into categories based on different factors, but the idea that they blast out a huge amount of radiation is what plays into this research. Their radiation signature is different enough from what would emerge from a true wormhole that scientists won’t mistake one for the other.
So how would such a test work? Think about looking at two lamps, where one has a “warm” compact fluorescent bulb and the other has a “natural” tone. You can immediately tell not just that they’re different, but likely what the difference indicates about what they both are. For cosmologists, the difference between wormholes and AGNs will be just as immediately clear. One of the authors of the paper told Space that he’s surprised this hasn’t been thought of before because of how simple it is.
In future research, if scientists can identify gamma radiation coming from a suspected galactic nucleus, these study findings mean they can hazard a guess that the object isn't galactic nucleus at all. It could, in fact, be a wormhole. At the very least, it’s something new.
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Caroline Delbert is a writer, avid reader, and contributing editor at Pop Mech. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all.
