black hole

black holes (plural)
black-hole (alternative)
blackhole (alternative)

desc

→ Bengali: ব্ল্যাকহোল (blêkhol), ব্ল্যাক হোল (blêk hol)

→ Japanese: ブラックホール (burakku hōru)

→ Korean: 블랙홀 (beullaekhol)

en:Black Hole of Calcutta
en:Hong-Yee Chiu
en:John Archibald Wheeler
en:black hole (disambiguation)

In reference to celestial bodies, physicist Hong-Yee Chiu attributed the term to his colleague Robert H. Dicke, who stated around 1960–1961 that the objects were "like the Black Hole of Calcutta". The first known usage in print was by journalist Ann Ewing in 1964. Widespread popularization of the term is generally credited to a 1967 lecture by physicist John Wheeler.

Astronomers have captured the first image of a black hole, heralding a revolution in our understanding of the universe’s most enigmatic objects.

2019 April 10, Hannah Devlin, The Guardian:

(astronomy) A gravitationally domineering celestial body with an event horizon from which even light cannot escape; the most dense material in the universe, condensed into a singularity, usually formed by a collapsing massive star.


singularity

en-noun

singularity (countable and uncountable, plural singularities)

/ˌsɪŋɡjəˈlæɹətɪ/

From Middle English singularite, from Old French singularité, from Late Latin singulāritās (“singleness”), from Latin singulāris (“single”).
Morphologically singular + -ity

At this singularity the laws of science and our ability to predict the future would break down. However, any observer who remained outside the black hole would not be affected by this failure of predictability, because neither light nor any other signal could reach him from the singularity.

1988, Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time, Bantam, →ISBN, page 88:

Consequently the interior of a black hole is empty, with a singularity at the centre.

1992, Jean-Pierre Luminet, Black Holes, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 135:

gravitational singularity
gravitational singularity#English

(physics) Ellipsis of gravitational singularity: a point or region in spacetime in which gravitational forces cause matter to have an infinite density; associated with black holes.


white hole

(astrophysics) A theoretically possible, but physically highly unlikely, singularity from which matter and energy are able to escape but unable to enter; the antithesis of a black hole.


event horizon

[əˈvɛɾ̃ həˈɹaɪ.zən]

(astrophysics) The gravitational sphere of a black hole within which the escape velocity is greater than the speed of light.

waarnemingshorison

gravitational sphere within which light cannot escape


accretion disk

accretion disks (plural)
accretion disc (alternative)

(astrophysics) A structure formed by matter falling into a gravitational source such as a galaxy, black hole, or protostar.


blazar

Blend of B + L + Lac + quasar. Coined by astronomer Edward Spiegel in 1978 from BL Lac object and quasar, punning blazing from its optical presentation compared to usual quasars. Analyzable as blaze + -ar.

coin

supermassive black hole
supermassive black hole

(astronomy) A very compact quasar, associated with a supermassive black hole at the center of an active galaxy.

blasaari

astronomy: a very compact quasar, associated with a supermassive black hole


wormhole

wormholes (plural)
worm-hole (alternative)
worme-hole (alternative)

First use appears c. 1594. From worm + hole. In the scientific sense, introduced by John Archibald Wheeler in 1957.

[…]where there is a net flux of lines of force, through what topologists would call "a handle" of the multiply-connected space, and what physicists might perhaps be excused for more vividly terming a "wormhole".

1957 December, Charles W. Misner, John Archibald Wheeler, “Classical Physics as Geometry”, in Annals of Physics, volume 2, number 6, pages 525–603:

Wormhole distortion has overloaded main power systems!

1979, Alan Dean Foster, Harold Livingston, directed by Robert Wise, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, spoken by Commander Willard Decker (Stephen Collins):

I think the wormhole that we used to travel here passed directly through this planet's sun.

2001, Ron Wilkerson, “Red Sky”, in Martin Wood, director, Stargate SG-1, season 5, episode 5, spoken by Captain Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping):

(relativity) A hypothetical shortcut between two points in spacetime, permitting faster-than-light travel and sometimes time travel.

ثَقْب دُودِيّ

a shortcut between distant parts of space


quasar

Blend of quasi- + stellar, from quasi-stellar radio source. Coined by American astrophysicist Hong-Yee Chiu in 1964 in an article in Physics Today. Analyzable as quasi- + -ar.

(astronomy) An extragalactic object, starlike in appearance, that is among the most luminous and (putatively) the most distant objects in the universe.


active galaxy

active galactic nucleus
active galactic nucleus

(by restriction) A galaxy with an active nucleus (AGN, active galactic nucleus)


MAD

en-noun

MAD (countable and uncountable, plural MADs)

Coordinate term: SANE

magnetically-arrested disc
magnetically-arrested disc#English

(astrophysics) Acronym of magnetically-arrested disc (a type of black hole accretion disc).


frame dragging

(physics) The bending out of shape of space and time near a rotating body, as predicted by general relativity.


firewall

From fire + wall. Compare West Frisian brânmuorre, Dutch brandmuur, German Brandmauer, Feuermauer, Swedish brandvägg, brandmur, Icelandic eldvegg. The verb sense for using maximum power or acceleration comes from the engine's firewall being the limit of forward movement of the throttle controls on many simpler vehicles; thus, to get the maximum engine output, one would push the throttle levers or pedal all the way to the firewall.

(physics) A hypothetical phenomenon where an observer falling into a black hole encounters high-energy quanta at or near the event horizon.


gravitational collapse

gravitational collapse (countable and uncountable, plural gravitational collapses)

The stage in the evolution of a star in which the pressure of the star is insufficient to maintain it at a stable size, and its material falls inward under its own gravity, eventually forming a black hole or a neutron star, and sometimes accompanied by a supernova explosion.


GRB

(astronomy) Initialism of gamma-ray burst.


Hawking radiation

Named from the English physicist Stephen Hawking.

The radiation presumed to be given off by a black hole by quantum mechanical processes.


supermassive black hole

supermassive black hole (plural supermassive black holes)

(astronomy) Any black hole with a mass from 10⁵ to 10¹⁰ times that of the Sun.


accretion shock

accretion shock (plural accretion shocks)

(astronomy) A spherical shock wave that arises when material spirals inward to a gravitational source such as a star or black hole.


infall

infall (countable and uncountable, plural infalls)

(astronomy, uncountable) Movement towards a massive astronomical body under the influence of gravity; especially the process whereby gas falls towards a neutron star or black hole at high speed, forming a plasma


high-frequency gravitational wave

high-frequency gravitational wave (plural high-frequency gravitational waves)

high-frequency gravitational waves (plural)
high frequency gravitational wave (alternative)

(physics, astronomy) gravitational radiation, in the megahertz to gigahertz region, which is proposed to have been produced by the Big Bang or by the collision of massive astronomical objects or artificially in the laboratory. Gravitational waves having frequencies higher than 100 kHz.


gravitational wave

gravitational wave (plural gravitational waves)

These layers also permit visual observation of the well-known "gravitational waves," which were suggested by Helmholtz and have been investigated theoretically at some length. It is frequently suggested that these atmospheric waves may be connected with signal fading.

1951, Donald E. Kerr, editor, Propagation of Short Radio Waves [IEE Electromagnetic Waves Series; 24], London: Peter Peregrinus Ltd on behalf of The Institution of Electrical Engineers, →ISBN, page 346:

It is difficult to see whether a sufficient amount of energy is communicated to the sea by the air masses directly in the form of compressional waves or it is transmitted or increased by the action of gravitational waves.

1953, J[ohan] G[erard Jozef] Scholte, “On Theories of the Origin of Microseisms”, in James T. Wilson, editor, Symposium on Microseisms: Held at Arden House Harriman N.Y. 4–6 September 1952 [Publication (National Research Council); 306], Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council, →OCLC, page 124:

In the used model sound waves and external gravitational waves have been filtered; combined inertial-internal gravitational waves, however, are still included in the equations.

1959, K. Hinkelmann, “Ein numerisches Experiment mit den primitiven Gleichungen”, in Bert Bolin, editor, The Atmosphere and the Sea in Motion: Scientific Contributions to the Rossby Memorial Volume, New York, N.Y.: The Rockefeller Institute Press in association with Oxford University Press, →OCLC, abstract, page 486:


X-ray binary

(astronomy) A binary star system in which one star of the pair is an optically invisible X-ray source.


ergosphere

From ergo- + -sphere. Coined by Remo Ruffini and John Archibald Wheeler in 1971 in reference to the fact that it is theoretically possible to extract energy from the region.

(physics) A region outside the event horizon of a rotating black hole in which space and time are distorted by shear forces.

John Archibald Wheeler
Remo Ruffini
ergosphere

ergosphère

region outside the event horizon of a black hole


black-hole

en-verb

black-hole (third-person singular simple present black-holes, present participle black-holing, simple past and past participle black-holed)

black-holes (present singular third-person)
black-holing (participle present)
black-holed (participle past)
black-holed (past)


infalling

(astronomy) Moving towards a massive astronomical body under the influence of gravity


GW

gravitational wave
gravitational wave#English

(astronomy, astrophysics, physics) Initialism of gravitational wave.


Einstein-Rosen bridge

en-noun

Einstein-Rosen bridge (plural Einstein-Rosen bridges)

From the names of the physicists who originally predicted it, Einstein (Albert Einstein) and Rosen (Nathan Rosen).

(physics) A type of wormhole that is inherently unstable and collapses before any information or matter can pass through.

ER=EPR

a conjecture about the nature of the universe that connects quantum physics to spacetime physics


gamma-ray burst

gamma-ray burst (plural gamma-ray bursts)

(astronomy) A flash of gamma rays that seem to originate from a random point in the sky; their most likely sources are believed to be supernova explosions of a very massive stars and mergers of neutron stars.


blackhole

(chiefly attributive) Alternative form of black hole


blackhole

en-verb

blackhole (third-person singular simple present blackholes, present participle blackholing, simple past and past participle blackholed)

blackholes (present singular third-person)
blackholing (participle present)
blackholed (participle past)
blackholed (past)


superradiance

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-superradiance.wav

(physics) The cooperative enhancement of spontaneous emission by constructive interatomic interference, producing an incoherent form of radiation.


collapsar

Blend of collapse + star, patterned after quasar, pulsar. Analyzable as collapse + -ar

(astronomy) The black hole thought to form following the gravitational collapse of a massive star.


hypernova

en-noun

hypernova (plural hypernovas or hypernovae)

(astronomy) The gravitational collapse of a massive star to form a black hole.

hipernova

the gravitational collapse of a massive star to form a black hole


QSR

quasi-stellar radio-source
quasi-stellar radio-source#English

(astronomy) Initialism of quasi-stellar radio-source.


QSO

quasi-stellar object
quasi-stellar object#English

Initialism of quasi-stellar object. (a quasar)


QSS

quasi-stellar source
quasi-stellar radio-source#English

(astronomy, obsolete) Initialism of quasi-stellar source.


AGN

AGNs (plural)
AGNe (plural)
AGNi (plural)

active galactic nucleus
active galactic nucleus#English


HzRG

(astronomy) Initialism of high-redshift radio galaxy.


BLRG

(astronomy) broad emission-line radio-galaxy


NLQ

near letter-quality
near letter-quality#English

(typography, computing) Initialism of near letter-quality.


BLQ

(astronomy) Abbreviation of broad emission-line quasar.


RIQ

(astronomy, initialism) Radio-intermediate quasar.


RQQ

(radio astronomy) Initialism of RadioQuiet Quasar.


microquasar

(astronomy, stars) A high-energy binary star system that includes black hole or neutron star and which resembles a quasar.


spaghettification

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-spaghettification.wav

From spaghetti + -ification (suffix meaning ‘the process of becoming’ forming nouns), alluding to the appearance of a strand of spaghetti.

suffix

Spaghettification was due to gravity intensifying, metre by metre, in the approach to a black hole.

1977, Nigel Calder, “Starcrusher”, in The Key to the Universe: A Report on the New Physics, New York, N.Y.: Viking Press, →ISBN, page 143:

But in the approach to a black hole the effect is far stronger: the astronaut’s body is stretched out on a gravitational rack. Before he comes near the event horizon, his body will be pulled out beyond the limits that flesh and blood can stand and he will suffer the excruciating death of ‘spaghettification’ long before he is in any position to unravel the secrets of the black hole. The strength of the spaghettification effect (usually known more prosaically as ‘tidal stretch’ for it is related to the way the Moon raises tides on Earth) depends on the mass of the rack-inducing black hole.

1981, Nigel Henbest, “Black Holes”, in Mysteries of the Universe, New York, N.Y.: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, →ISBN, page 140, column 1:

‘Spaghettification. Let me guess,’ said Rimmer. ‘I can see only two options: one – due to the bizarre effects of the intense gravitational pull, and because we’re entering a region of time and space where the laws of physics no longer apply, we all of us inexplicably develop an irresistible urge to consume vast amounts of a certain wheat-based Italian noodle conventionally served with Parmesan cheese; or two – we, the crew, get turned into spaghetti. I have a feeling we can eliminate option one.’

1990, Grant Naylor [pseudonym; Rob Grant; Doug Naylor], chapter 5, in Better Than Life, London: Viking, →ISBN, part 3 (Garbage World), page 153:

I am convinced, by arguments given by [John Archibald] Wheeler in 1957, that the end point of spaghettification—the singularity itself—is governed by a union, or marriage, of the laws of quantum mechanics and those of spacetime warpage. This must be so, since the warpage spaghettifies space on scales so extremely microscopic that they are profoundly influenced by the uncertainty principle.

2002, Kip S[tephen] Thorne, “Spacetime Warps and the Quantum World: Speculations about the Future”, in Stephen W[illiam] Hawking et al., The Future of Spacetime, New York, N.Y.: W[illiam] W[arder] Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 136:

The so-called Cauchy singularity discovered by [Roger] Penrose and his colleagues turns out to be a weak singularity, according to a classification introduced by Frank Tipler: there are no unbounded tidal forces. It is not, therefore, the kind of singularity that spells inevitable spaghettification.

2005, Michael Lockwood, “Closed Timelike Curves: Science Fact or Science Fiction?”, in The Labyrinth of Time: Introducing the Universe, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 141:

During this violent spaghettification process, long, thin strands of material that make up the star collapse into the intense gravity of a black hole – which basically swallows it up like stellar spaghetti. The event releases a bright burst of energy that can be detected by astronomers.

2020 October 15, Sophie Lewis, “Star dies by ‘spaghettification’ as it’s consumed by supermassive black hole”, in CBS News, archived from the original on 2021-02-14:

(astrophysics) The gravitational stretching of objects into long, thin shapes, usually near a black hole.

スパゲッティ化現象

スパゲッティかげんしょう


spaghettified

en-adj

spaghettified (comparative more spaghettified, superlative most spaghettified)

more spaghettified (comparative)
most spaghettified (superlative)

(astrophysics) Having undergone spaghettification.


Schwarzschild black hole

en-noun

Schwarzschild black hole (plural Schwarzschild black holes)

Named after German physicist and astronomer Karl Schwarzschild (1873–1916).

named-after

An uncharged (q = 0), nonrotating (L = 0) black hole.


Kerr black hole

en-noun

Kerr black hole (plural Kerr black holes)

Named after New Zealander physicist Roy Kerr.

At the center of the Heleus Cluster is a black hole, a huge star that has collapsed into a region of space-time with gravitational effects so powerful that even light cannot escape. This example is believed to be a Kerr black hole approximately 12 stellar masses in size, and appears to have absorbed additional mass from nearby systems.

2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Black Hole: H-012 "Ketos" Codex entry:

An uncharged (q = 0), rotating (L ≠ 0) black hole.


Kerr-Newman black hole

Kerr-Newman black hole (plural Kerr-Newman black holes)

Named after Roy Kerr and Ezra T. Newman.

A charged (q ≠ 0), rotating (L ≠ 0) black hole.


Reissner-Nordström black hole

Reissner-Nordstrom black hole (plural Reissner-Nordström black holes)

Reissner-Nordstrom black hole (canonical)
Reissner-Nordström black holes (plural)

A charged (q ≠ 0), nonrotating (L = 0) black hole.


ECO

MECO

a different type of black hole replacement, that inspired the formulation of ECOs

magnetospheric eternally collapsing object

eternally collapsing object
eternally collapsing object#English

(astronomy, physics) Initialism of eternally collapsing object. (a type of black hole replacement, to avoid having gravitational singularities)


HMXB

high-mass X-ray binary
high-mass X-ray binary#English

(astronomy) Initialism of high-mass X-ray binary: a binary star system that is strong in X-rays, and in which the normal stellar component is a massive star, and the compact X-ray-emitting component is a neutron star, black hole, or white dwarf.


LMXB

(astronomy) Initialism of low-mass X-ray binary: a binary star system that is strong in X-rays, and in which the normal stellar component is a main-sequence star, degenerate dwarf, or evolved star from the main sequence, and the compact X-ray emitting component is a neutron star, black hole, or white dwarf


IMXB

(astronomy) Initialism of intermediate-mass X-ray binary: a binary star system that is strong in X-rays, and in which the compact X-ray emitting component is a neutron star, black hole, or white dwarf.


radio galaxy

radio galaxies (plural)
radiogalaxy (alternative)

(astronomy) Type of galaxy that is very luminous at radio wavelengths.


gravastar

(astronomy, physics) A proposed alternative to black holes that is more consistent with quantum mechanics.


superradiant

en-adj

superradiant (comparative more superradiant, superlative most superradiant)

more superradiant (comparative)
most superradiant (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-superradiant.wav

Of, pertaining to, or producing superradiance


supercollapsar

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-supercollapsar.wav


hypercompact

(astronomy) Describing a dense cluster of stars around a supermassive black hole


fuzzball

en-noun

fuzzball (countable and uncountable, plural fuzzballs)

fuzzballs (plural)
fuzzy-ball (alternative)

(countable, astronomy) A quantum description of a black hole in superstring theory.


kilonova

kilonova (plural kilonovas or kilonovae)

From kilo- + nova. From kilo- (“thousands”). From being much more luminous than a nova, but less so than a typical supernova.

(astronomy) A type of supernova that is underluminous, caused by the merger of two neutron stars


Planck particle

Planck particle (plural Planck particles)

(physics) A hypothetical particle having physical quantities on the Planck scale, most importantly being one Planck mass in mass.


superkick

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-superkick.wav

(physics, astronomy) An ultrarelativistic interaction between two spinning black holes.


BL Lac object

(astronomy) a type of active galaxy with an active galactic nucleus (AGN), named after its prototype, BL Lacertae


Schwarzschild radius

Schwarzschild radius (plural Schwarzschild radii)

(astronomy) The radius of an object such that, if all its mass were compressed within that radius, the escape velocity would equal the speed of light.


Roman ring

closed timelike curve
closed timelike curve

A configuration of wormholes where for each individual wormhole the time difference across its mouths is such that it may not allow a closed timelike curve.


GRG

giant radio galaxy
giant radio galaxy#English


giant radio galaxy

giant radio galaxy (plural giant radio galaxies)

(astronomy) a very large radio galaxy; a double radio source having an overall projected linear length exceeding 2 megaparsecs (or more specifically, 2×h₅₀⁻¹ Mpc)


giant quasar

(astronomy) a quasar embedded in a double-lobed radio source, similar to a radio galaxy, whereby the quasar replaces a non-quasar galaxy, where the radio source extends over 1Mpc.


no-hair theorem

Hair is a metaphor for the unnecessary information beyond the three proposed parameters.

A theorem postulating that all black hole solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell equations in general relativity can be completely characterized by only three externally observable classical parameters: mass, electric charge, and angular momentum.


naked singularity

naked singularity (plural naked singularities)

gravitational singularity
gravitational singularity

(astrophysics) An as yet theoretical gravitational singularity with no event horizon, making it observable, unlike a black hole whose event horizon prevents light from reaching an observer situated outside the event horizon.

singularidad desnuda

a gravitational singularity with no event horizon


gravitational singularity

gravitational singularity (plural gravitational singularities)

Seen as a central metaphor, a gravitational singularity is a (theoretical) point at the centre of black holes at which quantities that are otherwise meaningful (e.g., density and spacetime curvature) become infinite, or rather meaningless.

2013, Amnon H. Eden, James H. Moor, Johnny H. Soraker, Eric Steinhart, chapter 1, in Singularity Hypotheses: A Scientific and Philosophical Assessment, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 5:

(physics) A location where the quantities that are used to measure the gravitational field become infinite in a way that does not depend on the coordinate system.


active galactic nucleus

active galactic nucleus (plural active galactic nuclei)

electromagnetic spectrum
electromagnetic spectrum

(astronomy) A compact region at the center of a galaxy that has a much higher than normal luminosity over at least some portion of the (measurable) electromagnetic spectrum.


dumb hole

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-dumb hole.wav

Similar to black hole, formed with dumb (“mute, silent”). Used at least since 1994.

A phenomenon in which phonons (sound perturbations) are unable to escape from a fluid that is flowing more quickly than the local speed of sound.


Eddington luminosity

Eddington luminosity (plural Eddington luminosities)

Named after British astrophysicist Arthur Eddington

named-after

hydrostatic equilibrium
hydrostatic equilibrium

(physics) The maximum luminosity of a source where the continuum radiation force outwards balances the gravitational force inwards in hydrostatic equilibrium.


nonsingularity

en-noun

nonsingularity (countable and uncountable, plural nonsingularities)

(mathematics, physics) Absence of singularity.


unnova

unnovae (plural)
unnovas (plural)
un-nova (alternative)

From un- + nova. From being similar to a supernova-process collapse, without the bright novalike outburst.

(astronomy) The collapse of a star which cannot explode in a supernova.


SMBH

supermassive black hole
supermassive black hole#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of supermassive black hole.


MECO

(astronautics) Acronym of main engine cut-off.

magnetospheric eternally collapsing object#English

(astrophysics) Acronym of magnetospheric eternally collapsing object.


quasi-stellar object

quasi-stellar object (plural quasi-stellar objects)

From quasi- + stellar + object, from its appearance as a point-like object similar to a star, but with a spectrum unlike that found in a star.


quasi-stellar radio-source

quasi-stellar radio-source (plural quasi-stellar radio-sources)

quasi-stellar radio-sources (plural)
quasi-stellar radiosource (alternative)
quasi-stellar radio source (alternative)

From quasi- + stellar + radio + source, from its appearance as a point-like object similar to a star, which is also a source of radio-energy, but with a spectrum unlike that found in a star.


blitzar

Heino Falcke
Luciano Rezzolla
en:blitzar

Blend of blitz + star. Proposed in 2013 by Heino Falcke and Luciano Rezzolla. Analyzable as blitz + -ar.

fast radio burst
fast radio burst#English

(astronomy, neologism) A phenomenon that emits a fast radio burst.


Penrose process

Named after English mathematician Roger Penrose.

A hypothetical process whereby the ergosphere of a black hole can be used as an energy source due to its angular momentum.


kugelblitz

Specifically, what she’s talking about is called a kugelblitz—a kind of black hole formed not from the collapse of matter, but from an overwhelming intensity of heat or radiation...or light.

2022, N. K. Jemisin, The World We Make, Orbit, page 303:

(theoretical physics) A concentration of light so intense that it forms an event horizon and becomes self-trapped, forming a black hole.


ER=EPR

From ER (Einstein-Rosen bridge) and EPR (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox).

quantum entanglement
quantum entanglement

(quantum mechanics) A conjecture equating the effects of quantum entanglement (EPR) with a wormhole (ER) connection between the entangled particles, relating quantum physics to spacetime physics.


radioquiet

a radioquiet neutron star

(astronomy) Not producing radio emissions.


NUT space

From the rearranged initials of the authors of the paper, Newman, Tamburino and Unti (1963), who independently rediscovered the solution originally found by Taub (1951).

Einstein field equations
Einstein field equations

A particular solution of the Einstein field equations associated with massive objects that have a gravitomagnetic charge.


Schwarzschild density

named-after

Named after German physicist and astronomer Karl Schwarzschild (1873–1916)

(astrophysics) The minimum density a black hole can have: c²/(2G) or 6.734×10²⁶ kg/m (kilograms per meter).


optical black hole

en-noun

optical black hole (plural optical black holes)

Bose-Einstein condensate
Bose-Einstein condensate

A phenomenon in which slow light is passed through a Bose-Einstein condensate that is itself spinning faster than the local speed of light within to create a vortex capable of trapping the light behind an event horizon, just as a gravitational black hole would.


antihorizon

White holes must therefore be surrounded by the opposite of an event horizon, something known as an antihorizon, which would allow one-way traffic out and never in. Unfortunately, antihorizons are very unstable and get converted to normal horizons in a matter of seconds after forming.

2002, Jim Al-Khalili, Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Machines, page 199:

The Kruskal diagram of the Schwarzschild geometry showed it to possess not only a normal horizon but also an antihorizon, beyond which there was, supposedly, another Universe.

2009, Jon Schiller, 21st Century Cosmology, page 54:

To distant observers the light appears, due to gravitational time dilation, to slow down as it approaches the antihorizon.

2010, Enrico Rodrigo, The Physics of Stargates:

(astrophysics) The opposite of an event horizon, allowing escape but not entry.


failed supernova

failed supernova (plural failed supernovae or failed supernovas)

failed supernovae (plural)
failed supernovas (plural)

(astronomy) An event that ends the fusion lifetime of a large and massive star. It is a partial type-II supernova, where the collapse process occurs, but no significant rebound occurs, and the nascent black hole swallows the incoming implosion resulting in no outbound explosion or subsequent light burst.


peribothron

From peri- + Ancient Greek βόθρος (bóthros, “pit”) + -(i)on.

af

(astronomy) The point in an elliptical orbit around a black hole where the orbiting body is closest to the black hole.

2003 August, A Gould& AC Quillen, “Sagittarius A* companion S0-2: a probe of very high mass star formation”, in The Astrophysical Journal, volume 592, number 2:

2006 July, LM Dray, AR King, MB Davies, “Young stars in the Galactic Centre: a potential intermediate-mass star origin”, in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, volume 372, number 1:
On subsequent peribothra further tidal interactions take place, gradually causing the orbit to decay.

2011, C Wegg, JN Bode, “Multiple tidal disruptions as an indicator of binary supermassive black hole systems”, in The Astrophysical Journal Letters:
Galaxies harboring an isolated SMBH at their center are expected to quickly clear a "loss cone" of orbits whose angular momenta about the black hole are low enough that their peribothra lie inside rₜ .


Planck star

The entire matter of the sun condensed into the space of an atom: a Planck star should be constituted by this extreme state of matter.

2015, Carlo Rovelli, translated by Simon Carnell and Erica Segre, Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Penguin, published 2016, page 44:

(astrophysics) A hypothetical astronomical object whose energy is around the Planck density (5.155 × 10⁹⁶ kg/m³).


spaghettify

en-verb

spaghettify (third-person singular simple present spaghettifies, present participle spaghettifying, simple past and past participle spaghettified)

spaghettifies (present singular third-person)
spaghettifying (participle present)
spaghettified (participle past)
spaghettified (past)

Back-formation from spaghettification, equivalent to spaghetti + -fy.

If, for example, a black hole eats enough to triple its mass, then it will have grown three times as wide. For this reason, black holes in the universe can be almost any size, but not all of them will spaghettify you before you cross the event horizon.

2007, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Death by Black Hole:

First, the intense gravitational forces around a black hole may 'spaghettify' space travellers before they even reach the event horizon, and second, the theory may be fully confirmed only if someone were prepared to test it.

2013, David Wilkinson, Science, Religion, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence:

(astrophysics) To stretch an object into a long thin shape under the influence of a very strong gravitational field gradient, such as found near a black hole.


infaller

The relative boost I talked about is again between an early infaller which could be part of the matter and a late infaller.

2016, Roger Blandford, David Gross, Alexander Sevrin, Astrophysics and Cosmology: Proceedings of the 26th Solvay Conference on Physics:

(astrophysics) A particle that falls behind the event horizon, for example into a black hole.


Eddington limit

en-noun

Eddington limit (plural Eddington limits)

Eddington luminosity
Eddington luminosity#English

(physics) Synonym of Eddington luminosity


regular black hole

regular black hole (plural regular black holes)

From regular (“continuous”) + black hole (“region enclosed by an event horizon”). From having a spacetime formulation that is without discontinuities, that is, regular.

compound

(mathematics, physics) A mathematical formulation for a black hole which does not contain a singularity. The environment outside the event horizon is the same as other formulations for black holes.


cosmic singularity

en-noun

cosmic singularity (plural cosmic singularities)

From cosmic (“outer space”) + singularity (“discontinuity”).

compound

A point of infinite positive spacetime curvature because of an infinite gravitational field


Cygnus X-1

From Cygnus + X + 1. From being the first discovered discrete astronomical X-ray source (an X-ray star) located in the constellation of Cygnus.

(astronomy, physics) The first generally accepted and confirmed black hole. A black hole in a high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) with a blue supergiant companion (HD 226868), located in the constellation Cygnus.

high-mass X-ray binary
high-mass X-ray binary


eternally collapsing object

en-noun

eternally collapsing object (plural eternally collapsing objects)

A proposed alternative to a black hole whose collapse continually slows down, and that does not form an event horizon

Magnetospheric eternally collapsing object


Hawking's paradox

(physics) The black hole information paradox.


Kerr geometry

Kerr geometry (usually uncountable, plural Kerr geometries)

Named after New Zealand physicist Roy Kerr.

The very remarkable conclusion of all this is that the black holes that we expect to find in nature have to conform to this Kerr geometry.

March 14, 2018, Roger Penrose, “'Mind over matter': Stephen Hawking – obituary”, in The Guardian:

The geometry of empty spacetime around a rotating uncharged axially-symmetric black hole with a spherical event horizon.


radioloud

a radioloud neutron star


ringularity

An annular cosmic singularity, a ring with zero thickness and infinite density.


ring singularity

ring singularity (plural ring singularities)


cosmic censorship

Coined by British scientist Roger Penrose in 1969.

coin

(physics) The hypothesis that Einstein's general relativity theory singularities are always hidden from the remote observer, and are only visible as black holes.


PBH

primordial black hole
primordial black hole#English


primordial black hole

en-noun

primordial black hole (plural primordial black holes)

From primordial + black hole. From being black holes formed before the start of the Stelliferous Age.

A black hole which is formed by the direct collapse of primordial gas and dark matter, before the first stars ever formed, in a Big Bang universe.


Sagittarius A*

From being the unseen gravitational centre associated with the astronomical radio source Sagittarius A, the astrophysical radio source associated with the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy. The asterisk * originally symbolized an exciting discovery, by analogy with the symbol's use to denote the excited state of atoms.

Sagittarius A*, the black hole in the Milky Way galaxy, was a harder target. It is less than one-thousandth the mass and size of the M87 hole and, therefore, evolves a thousand times faster.

2022 May 12, Dennis Overbye, “The Milky Way’s Black Hole Comes to Light”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

supermassive black hole
supermassive black hole

The central supermassive black hole of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Messier 87*

Pōwehi; the first directly imaged central supermassive black hole of a galaxy


photon sphere

The radius of the photon sphere is also the lower bound for any stable orbit.

For a Schwarzschild (non-spinning) black hole, the radius of the photon sphere is 1.5 times the Schwarzschild radius.

The redshift of light leaking outward from the photon sphere is #92;sqrt#123;3#125;-1#61;0.732. All light rays approaching a black hole closer than #92;sqrt#123;3#125; times the radius of the photon sphere spiral inwards and are captured (see Figure 13.5).

2000, Edward Harrison, Cosmology, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, page 250:

For a Kerr black hole though, one that has spin, the situation is different for the orbits near the black hole. In particular, there are two photon spheres, in contrast with the one photon sphere around a stationary Schwarzschild black hole. The outermost sphere is for photons that are orbiting oppositely to the direction of rotation of the black hole (the ones we say are on retrograde orbits). Inside this is the photon sphere for photons travelling in the same sense around the black hole as it is rotating (on prograde orbits). For a very slowly rotating black hole that isn't so very different from a Schwarzschild black hole, these two photon spheres are very nearly co-spatial. For black holes of increasing spin, these surfaces are increasingly further apart.

2015, Katherine Blundell, Black Holes: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, page 44:

2017, Lori Gardi, The Mandelbrot Set as a Quasi-Black Hole, David de Hilster (editor), John Chappell Natural Philosophy Society: 2017 Proceedings, John Chappell Natural Philosophy Society, page 65,
The lesser known region just outside the black hole is referred to as the photon sphere (outer grey region in Figure 9). The photon sphere is a region of space just outside the black hole where photons are forced to travel in complex orbits due to the extreme curvature of space within this region [2]. […] Finally, the boundary that exactly separates the black hole from the photon sphere is referred to as the event horizon (white circle surrounding the black region in Figure 9).

The region inside the photon sphere has a diameter of 1.5× Schwarzschild diameter D(s), but due to the curvature, this region gets magnified to 2.6× D(s).

2022, Wouter Schmitz, Understanding Relativity, Springer, page 277:

(of a black hole) A spherical limit around a black hole at such distance that any photon meeting it tangentially is constrained to travel in a circular orbit; (more loosely) the region between this limit and the event horizon.

sphère de photons

spherical boundary surrounding a black hole in which photons travel in circular orbits


photon circle

From the path of photon becoming circular, instead of the usual hyperbolic orbits.

(of a black hole) Synonym of photon sphere


last photon orbit

last photon orbit (plural last photon orbits)

From being the closest tangential approach to a black hole, where a photon's path does not eventually fall through the event horizon.


ISCO

w:en:International Standard Classification of Occupations

Abbreviation of International Standard Classification of Occupations.


Cauchy horizon

(physics) A light-like boundary of the domain of validity of a Cauchy problem. One side of the horizon contains closed space-like geodesics and the other side contains closed time-like geodesics.


ULX

ultra-luminous X-ray
ultra-luminous X-ray#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of ultra-luminous X-ray. (the individual X-rays are not ultraluminous)


NULX

ultra-luminous X-ray source
ultra-luminous X-ray source#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of number of ultra-luminous X-ray sources. a count of ULX sources within a galaxy


StMBH

stellar-mass black hole
w:stellar-mass black hole

(astronomy) Abbreviation of stellar-mass black hole.


SBH

SBHs (plural)
sBH (alternative)
Sbh (alternative)

stellar black hole
stellar black hole#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of stellar black hole (“collapsar”).

supermassive black hole
supermassive black hole#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of supermassive black hole.

small black hole
small black hole#English

(physics) Abbreviation of small black hole (“macroscopic black hole”).


MBH

MBHs (plural)
μBH (alternative)
mBH (alternative)
μBH (alternative)
mBH (alternative)
mBH (alternative)

massive black hole
massive black hole#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of massive black hole (“supercollapsar”).

very large
very large black hole#English

intermediate-mass
intermediate-mass black hole#English

super-massive
super-massive black hole#English

(cosomology) Abbreviation of massive black hole (“large and very large black holes / intermediate-mass and super-massive black holes”).

massive black hole

macroscopic black hole
macroscopic black hole#English

stellar-mass
stellar-mass black hole#English

(physics) Abbreviation of macroscopic black hole (“small / stellar-mass black hole”).

microscopic black hole
microscopic black hole#English

(physics) Abbreviation of microscopic black hole.

micro black hole
micro black hole#English

(astrophysics) Abbreviation of micro black hole.

(astrophysics) Abbreviation of mini black hole.


cosmic censorship hypothesis

cosmic censorship hypothesis (plural cosmic censorship hypotheses)

A conjecture that expects that all spacetime singularities are enclosed within event horizons.


Planck relic

(physics, cosmology, astronomy, astrophysics, quantum mechanics, relativity theory) A black hole with an event horizon on the order of a Planck length (~ 10⁻³⁵ metres), and a mass on the order of a Planck mass (~ 20 micrograms).

quantum mechanics; relativity theory; quantum mechanics; relativity theory


blanet

2020 August 7th, Anton Petrov, Massive Blanets - Black Hole Planets - Could Be All Over the Place, YouTube:

(astronomy) A planet that orbits a black hole.


melanoheliophobia

From melano- (“pigmented, darkened”) + helio- (“Sun, star”) + -phobia (“fear”), from black holes being collapsed stars.

affix

I hear you suffer from a certain affliction, melanoheliophobia

2021 October 5, “Dark Star”, in Killers of the Cosmos, season 1, episode 5, via Science Channel:

(informal) The irrational fear of (astrophysical) black holes.


compact star

(astronomy) A type of celestial body that collectively refers to white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes and exotic stars.


dark star

(obsolete, astronomy, physics) A black hole: star so massive that its escape velocity is above the speed of light, making the star dark, as no light can escape.


SANE

Coordinate term: MAD

(astrophysics) Ellipsis of SANE disc. A type of black hole accretion disc.


black hole star

en-noun

black hole star (plural black hole stars)

From black hole + star. From being a radiant spherical celestial object containing a black hole.

(astronomy, cosmology) A theoretical early universe object, with the outer layers of a star and a black hole for a stellar core. Theorized to be born of an ultramassive pre-stellar nebula collapse to an ultramassive protostar, and later birthing an intermediate mass black hole when the star's life ends.


frozen star

frozen+star
* (stellar black hole, black hole alternative): From relativity predicting the passage of time slowing to a stop as the star collapses through its event horizon, "freezing" time and the star.
* (Population 0 star): From the existence of frozen volatiles, such as water ice, existing in the atmosphere and on the surface of such a star

sense

(astrophysics) Synonym of stellar black hole


frozar

From froze + -ar. From being a star frozen in time.

(astrophysics) Synonym of frozen star (“black hole alternative”) An astrophysical star stilled to a stop by gravitational relativistic time dilation effects, during its final collapse at the end of its fusion lifetime


frozon

From froze + -on. From being a particle that is so heavy, having Planck energy / Planck mass, that its self-gravitation results in a relativistic gravitational field so extreme that gravitational time dilation slows time to a stop, freezing time.

(physics) A proposed type of theoretical particle, a Planck-scale particle with Planck energy, whose field fluctuations are frozen in time due to self-gravitational time dilation.


final parsec problem

supermassive black hole
supermassive black hole

(astronomy) The problem of whether two supermassive black holes in a merged galaxy would remain in orbit or eventually merge, and if so, how.


SMBHB

supermassive black hole binary
supermassive black hole binary#English

(astronomy) Abbreviation of supermassive black hole binary. (a pair of supermassive black holes at the centre of two galaxies that have merged)