A Humongous Black Hole - Should It Even Exist? %

Multiple experts and astrophysicists have recently been discussing reports that the LIGO and Virgo gravitational-wave detectors have picked up a signal of a huge black hole that’s reportedly as heavy as 100 suns. Black holes, being intensely dense spheres with gravity so strong that everything gets trapped inside them, including light, are formed from the contracting cores of exploding stars. Although up until now, black holes were only believed to exist having solar-mass below 50 but now there are more opinions about it.

The whole concept is astonishing because some physicists had formerly predicted that there should be no black holes with masses in the 50–130 solar-mass range. These same scientists also claimed that black holes could exist on the other side of this mass gap, weighing more than 130 solar-masses since the stars continue to shed mass throughout their lives. However, a star would need to be born equal to at least 300 suns to end up as a 130 solar-mass black hole. On the contrary, a few experts also predicted that black holes in the 50 – 130 solar-mass range shall be seen.

At a meeting in February 2017, Belczynski and Daniel Holz from University of Chicago wagered that black holes should not exist between the ranges of 55–130 solar-mass because of the phenomena known as “pair-instability”. However, Carl Rodriguez of MIT and two renowned physicists believed that there was an alternate way for these plus-sized black holes to come into existence. According to Carl Rodriguez, and other experts, a black hole having 50 solar-mass could merge with a black hole having 30 solar-mass. The resultant black hole can then catch another huge black hole and merge.

Lastly, the team plans to reveal the final details by the spring of 2020. The scientists are busy figuring out the alternative mechanisms for the formation of such a big black hole. Regardless of the formation procedure, it will be an exciting event – if the rumors of a black hole being this big are true.