How can white dwarfs (dead stars) make black holes?

Question

After consideration of this statement, "light travels at 2 997 924 meters per second not miles per second. You said if something went faster it would create a black hole... but nothing CAN go faster." and also watching NATGEO, I thought of a question.

So, if something goes faster than light, it will make a black hole. Also, nothing can go faster than light because it will take an infinite amount of energy to do so, thus creating a black hole.

But, we see these stars create black holes, correct? Given, they have such a tremendous density, their mass in not infinite! If they can create black holes without swallowing up the universe, does that mean that something can go faster than the speed of light without swallowing up the universe?

Also, is it true the universe is infinite?! If you say so, how can you prove it and how can you tell if you cannot quantify infinity (rather not from a semantic point of view, but scientific)?

Answer 1

White dwarfs don't become black holes.

Where a star ends up at the end of its life depends on the mass it was born with. Stars that have a lot of mass may end their lives as black holes or neutron stars. A low and medium mass star (with mass less than about 8 times the mass of our Sun) will become a white dwarf. A typical white dwarf is about as massive as the Sun, yet only slightly bigger than the Earth. This makes white dwarfs one of the densest forms of matter, surpassed only by neutron stars.

Black holes are thought to form from stars or other massive objects if and when they collapse from their own gravity to form an object whose density is infinite: in other words, a singularity. During most of a star's lifetime, nuclear fusion in the core generates electromagnetic radiation, including photons, the particles of light. This radiation exerts an outward pressure that exactly balances the inward pull of gravity caused by the star's mass.



As the nuclear fuel is exhausted, the outward forces of radiation diminish, allowing the gravitation to compress the star inward. The contraction of the core causes its temperature to rise and allows remaining nuclear material to be used as fuel. The star is saved from further collapse -- but only for a while.



Eventually, all possible nuclear fuel is used up and the core collapses. How far it collapses, into what kind of object, and at what rate, is determined by the star's final mass and the remaining outward pressure that the burnt-up nuclear residue (largely iron) can muster. If the star is sufficiently massive or compressible, it may collapse to a black hole. If it is less massive or made of stiffer material, its fate is different: it may become a white dwarf or a neutron star.

Answer 2

lots of good answers here, but i thought i'd clear one thing up: it's not exactly correct to say that white dwarfs cannot become black holes. true, a white dwarf left to its own will just persist, ever so slowly cooling down over billions and billions of years. but most stars in the galaxy (and it stands to reason in other galaxies, too) are in binary (or more) systems. if one star of a binary system evolves into a white dwarf, the changes that occur in mass and composition of the star can significantly change the orbital dynamics of a two-star system. they may be altered so drastically that the white dwarf star is able to accrete matter from its companion. but a white dwarf is held up by electron degeneracy pressure, which can only withstand so much inward force due to gravity. this is why white dwarfs cannot exist over a certain mass, called the Chandrasekhar limit.

So if a white dwarf accretes enough mass from its companion to surpass that limit, something's gotta give. the white dwarf will implode first, then explode as the supporting mechanism for the star is overcome. the violent implosion of the white dwarf can be enough to create a neutron star, or even a stellar-mass black hole. this sort of event is called a type I-a supernova, and it is actually the most common type of supernova that is observed.

Answer 3

White dwarf stars do not create black holes. They are the end product of lower-mass stars. Stars with very high masses can supernova when they run out of burnable hydrogen/helium, and then collapse into neutron stars, clusters of neutrons so dense that they are only about 10 km in diameter yet have the mass of 1-3 of our suns. These neutron stars can then further collapse into a black hole. Describing the behavior of a black hole is complicated, as relativity comes into play. It is inaccurate to say that they just suck things directly into them, as they still operate by the laws of gravity, but because of their infinite density have a gravitational attractive force greater than the speed of light. This is why we still cannot completely prove their existence, simply because we will never be able to bounce any type of light off of one and take a viable picture. However, even though they possess a tremendous gravitational force, an object has to cross a certain point in their gravitational pull before it is actually sucked in. Most objects simply orbit around black holes indefinitely because they already possess angular momentum and orbital velocity, much in the same way that the Earth isn't sucked directly into the Sun. In fact, it is impossible for us observers on Earth to tell whether an object has been swallowed by a black hole because time slows down to infinity around a black hole from the observer's perspective, although the object will certainly experience the effects in a rapid onset. Read up on Einstein's theories of the behavior of the spacetime fabric if that statement doesn't entirely make sense to you.

Answer 4

I'll be brief, so you can give brief answers to your hoes, and bros. A pulsar is a Neutron star that pulsates like a light house, very rapidly, it is small, and contains a enormous amount of mass for it's size. It is a supernova remnant from a collapsing star (has to be a big onez) A quasar is a very luminous object (galaxy) which is either at the beginning or end of it's life cycle. The galaxies nucleus swallows up tons of stars and that causes a streamer affect (like the streamers at parties), that spans millions of light years outwards. A Quasar has a very active core! A white Dwarf is a low mass star at the end of it's life cycle, which burned out all it's fuel instead of blowing up. A Neutron star is a star containing neutron matter, which has a high density (like magnetars and pulsars) A black hole is a region of space were gravity is very immense, and it's nucleus is very dense. It sucks up everything in it's path. Including time, and light. Turn your bumhole on suction mode! And, the difference between them is... Some are not the same. Idk.

Answer 5

1. White Dwarfs cannot make black holes.



2. It is not necessary for an object to travel faster than light to create a Black Hole. I don't know where you heard or read that, but it is not correct.



A Black Hole is a collapsed super-giant star that is so dense and its gravity is so powerful that, inside of a certain distance from the surface of the collapsed star, not even light can escape. Since no light, or even any other kind of radiation, can escape, it is "black". And, since almost everything captured by it's gravity gets pulled down into it, it is (figuratively) a "hole". Hence the term, "Black Hole".

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Answer 6

White dwarfs do not create black holes. White dwarf's do not undergo further collapse due to degenerate electron pressure. Black holes are created when very massive stars end their life. White dwarf's on the other hand are created when relatively low mass stars end their life.

Answer 7

This is a good question. However, you're confused about some topics. Yes, light travels at one speed in a vacuum and nothing can travel faster. This is an asymptote. It applies to conventional propulsion and interstellar bodies.



The way white dwarfs become black holes is by feeding. At critical mass, the light bends back to the surface, regardless of diameter. This is not the same as traveling faster than light. Inside the event horizon, space has warped like a tight corkscrew. In fact, light still travels at c, except it cannot locate an exit. This is different from actual FTL speed.



The universe is not infinite. As a quick example with our friend temperature, it is intricately tied to entropy. When systems change over time, a record is kept within the universe. And the limit to how much information can be recorded is defined by entropy.

Answer 8

if you are interested about mathematics read about this it will help a lot about your question..



Riemann Surface and gauge theory.. For the size of the universe.. if and only if you can understand it..the size of the universe depend on how you see it (dimension)..



The effect of is infinite but can be counter by electrtomagnetism..prove is you can lift a nail with a small magnet..



the mass of white dwarf can increase in certain and extremely unlikely event..





It is impossible for white dwarf to become a black hole..

Answer 9

1. Stars that become white dwarfs will never and could never create a black hole. They didn't have enough mass.



2. Going fast has nothing to do with creating a black hole - period.



3. Absolute zero is where all motion ceases. That is easy to understand. You can not go slower than zero. The speed of light is the maximum speed you can go - period. Just like absolute zero you need something colder to cool the object you want to cool.. With a velocity near the speed of light it would require nearly infinite energy just to approach the speed of light. Talking about speeds that exceed the speed of light is equivalent to talking about temperatures below absolute zero. You can talk about it but it has no place in reality.



4. Stars become black holes if their mass is large enough to and the nuclear fuel, that through radiation pressure keeps all of that mass far enough apart, has been exhausted.



5. The surface of the Earth in any directon is of infinite extent - you can go in any direction forever - BUT, the amount of surface is finite. You just go around and around. If the mass of the universe high enough the fabric of the universe will be curved so as to close the universe. It will be both finite and infinite - just like the Earth.



6. You cannot go faster than the speed of light.

Answer 10

A black hole is created when a star undergoes gravitational collapse and becomes superdense, and no we havent actually "seen" it but there is evidence for their existence.



A star will become a black hole if it's mass is large enough, if not then a white dwarf



It is not necessary for the speed of light to be surpassed to create one



EDIT: An object doesnt have to surpass the speed of light for that. It merely needs to be a supermassive star of sufficient weight that uses up all of its energy and collapses under the force of its own gravity

Answer 11

No, a white dwarf does not become a black hole. It does not have enough mass.



For the rest, man, I can't help you.

Answer 12

To answer your question about the black holes, let's change the point of view.



As mass increases, so does wave density. I am referring to the total electromagnetic field density of any particular location. Gravity is the result of the square of the Wave-Amplitude. Squares are always positive. That is why gravity always attracts. It is a distortion of the EM field toward the area of higher wave density. It is often described in a 2D space as a 'downward dip' in the 'fabric of space-time.' But in reality, the field is 3D and the EM field is all in 3D.



Light is a member of the identified aspects of the electromagnetic field. Mathematically, the speed of light is affected by the wave density of high mass stars to the point where at a certain high mass, the speed relative to the center of wave density is zero, or negative. At that point the part of the electromagnetic spectrum we identify as a photon can not move fast enough away from the center of field density to escape. This point is called the event horizon.



The electromagnetic field through which photon wave centers travel is moving toward the center of wave density faster than the photon is traveling away from the center of wave density along the lines of force in the EM field. Therefore we can never see it.



Usually a black hole is described as a point of infinite mass. This description could easily be wrong. The laws of the conservation of motion and energy still apply.



The weak nuclear forces depend on Space and Motion which are more fundamental forces. At high densities such as are found in collapsed stars, new forms of matter may exist, which means that the center of a black hole could be inhabited by an object, and that all matter was not annihilated when a black hole - an event horizon - is formed.



The black hole is rotating at fantastic speeds as it accumulates the angular momentum of the objects it absorbs. This rotation may produce disk or doughnut shaped objects at the center of the black hole. These are probably the lenses that are the cause of galactic jets.



Remember, the black hole itself extends from the center of wave density to the event horizon. Visualize Saturn becoming a black hole at its surface. The planet would disappear. The rings would still be in orbit around the center of mass - which could no longer be seen.



:-D Thanks for the interesting questions. Sorry I don't have time to discuss the infinite universe.

Answer 13

white dwarfs are not massive enough to become black holes ,black holes form when super massive stars collapse under their own gravity.because the gravity remains constant even tho the area is smaller the light(as well as most of anything else) cannot escape thus the name black hole ...,astronomers discover black holes by observing whats happening(or not) around them and by the powerful waves of energy(radio waves i think but not sure) that can be expelled out of them...it has nothing to do with the speed of light.as far as the speed of light goes,the closer to the speed of light that you get the more time slows down,as well the closer to the speed of light that you get the greater your mass therefore the greater the amount of energy required to propel you faster

Answer 14

34t1

Answer 15

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