How Would an Astronaut Falling Into a Black Hole Die? 412
ananyo writes "According to the accepted account, an astronaut falling into a black hole would be ripped apart, and his remnants crushed as they plunged into the black hole's infinitely dense core. Calculations by Joseph Polchinski, a string theorist at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, California, though, point to a different end: quantum effects turn the event horizon into a seething maelstrom of particles and anyone who fell in would hit a wall of fire and be burned to a crisp in an instant. There's one problem with the firewall theory. If Polchinski is right, then either general relativity or quantum mechanics is wrong and his work has triggered a mini-crisis in theoretical physics."
We must find out for sure! (Score:5, Funny)
Disney knew this in 1979 (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Spaghetti (Score:5, Funny)
My theory (Score:5, Funny)
Re: Somebody, quick! (Score:2, Funny)
The /. we all knew and loved a decade ago was gone by 1997.
So the consensus is still (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why Waste an Astronaut? (Score:5, Funny)
well, technically, wouldn't the convicted murder BECOME an astronaut by definition the moment we shot him into space?
slashdot is really provoking the deep questions today.
Re:Somebody, quick! (Score:5, Funny)
Leave your crappy sitcom references at the door and let the adults talk.
Take the time to read too, you might learn something that isn't some comic book fantasy.
Besides, if anyone knows the answer, it's Dr. Hans Reinhardt.
Re: Somebody, quick! (Score:5, Funny)
How would he die?
Of old age, on the multimillion year journey to the nearest black hole, I suppose.
But don't let me be the one to interrupt your little rec time, on the holodeck. ;-)
Re:Gravitational tides will kill you (Score:5, Funny)
If the astronaut gets across the event horizon, then he will never die relative to us. So, there really isn't a problem here as far as I can tell.
If Polchinski is right... (Score:5, Funny)
Umm... He's a string theorist, so...
Listen to Zombie Feynman kids: Unscientific [xkcd.com]:
Re:Gravitational tides will kill you (Score:5, Funny)
Heck, considering what we know about the locations of black holes and the speed of manmade spacefcraft, old age will probably kill you before you get close enough to notice the gravity.
Everybody repeat after me: "Space is big. Don't mind Sarten-X, he is a jackass."
Re:They're all Wrong! (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, it is also possible that there is no such thing as a black hole - but cetain parts of the universe just suck. I have known some towns like that.
Re:He would die of shock (Score:5, Funny)
He would die of shock [...] And then her body would be torn asunder.
So you think a black hole would accomplish a gender change on the subject? Interesting theory.
Re: Somebody, quick! (Score:3, Funny)
That was when Slashdot IDs were negative numbers. Ahhh... I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now.
Leonard Susskind (Score:4, Funny)
First answer: Alone.
But I saw this rather interesting video of a lecture by Leonard Susskind : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf0D8A0jRiY [youtube.com] ;)
It will probably not answer your question, but it's about black holes and they're very cool! Or hot. Depending on the observer
Re:Why Waste an Astronaut? (Score:5, Funny)
Don't worry, I can fix that...
Now, Wikipedia says "In addition, a convicted murderer shot through space toward a black hole for experimental purposes."