|
In order to answer your question, we had to leap into the theoretical rabbit hole of quantum physics. Ready to go for a ride? The armchair astronomer is probably more familiar with the concepts of black holes and wormholes, which help explain the very theoretical idea of white holes. Yahoo! Reference defines a black hole as a cosmic body with a gravitational force so strong that no matter, not even light, can escape its pull. A wormhole is a theoretical wrinkle or "shortcut" that connects two disparate points in space or time, much like a tunnel or a
bridge. As exciting as such an intergalactic transit system sounds, most astronomers and physicists agree that wormholes are probably more science fiction than fact. As this excellent source informs us, there is no evidence to support the existence of wormholes. But for the sake of understanding white holes, let's assume wormholes do exist. When all matter, including light and time, is sucked into a black hole, an infinitely dense singularity occurs. With all this heavy-duty cosmic attraction going on, something has to give, right? Enter white holes. Put simply, the idea
here is "what goes into a black hole must somehow come out." If a black hole tears the space-time fabric of "our universe" creating a wormhole, a white hole would be the entry point into the "other universe." Essentially, a white hole would be the mathematical representation of the black hole in reverse, only it wouldn't physically exist. If you are still a bit confused, as we admittedly are, feel free to Ask the Space Scientist or bang heads with other inquisitive stargazers.
|