What If We Could See Through a Black Hole?

This star is about to transform into a black hole, and we're about to travel inside it to see what's on the other side. The only problem is that we'll never be able to report our findings back to Earth, because once you go inside a black hole, there's no coming back. So maybe there's a better way to find out what's on the other side. Could we use a special telescope? How would light behave inside a black hole? And why could the first image of a black hole provide all the answers? This is what if, and here's what would happen if we could see through a black hole. Everything that we can see in the world around us is based on light entering our eyes. If an object doesn't emit or reflect light, then our eyes can't see it. So how are we supposed to see through to the other side of a black hole? It's like the darkest thing we've ever discovered. Not only does it not emit its own light, it also sucks up any light that comes near it. But according to planetary scientist Joshua Colwell, seeing through a black hole is not impossible. In fact, we've already done it, and all it took was a little bending of space and time. Let's take a look at the first real image of a black hole. Even in this low quality picture, you can see through to the other side if you look close enough. Let's enhance If you want to see what's going on on the other side of a black hole, the most crucial place to look is at this thin ring at its center. This is called the photon orbit. It's a ring made-up of light particles called photons that have orbited the black hole 2-3 or even more times before escaping. Photons can come closer to the black hole than ordinary matter because they're massless. And the crazy thing is that the photons we see in this ring don't just come from the sides of the black hole, they also come from behind it. This is because the black hole can warp space and time to such a degree that some of the light orbits the black hole in a full circle. Let me explain. Imagine a star in space that, from our perspective, is obscured by a black hole. The star sends out light in all directions. Some of this light would usually reach our eyes on Earth, and some would just disappear in other directions. But in this case, the light that's headed straight for us would get sucked in by the black hole and disappear forever. And some of the light that normally wouldn't have reached us will get redirected by the black hole. This light would become part of the photon orbit and eventually make its way to our eyes on Earth. The light appears to come from the gaseous rim around the black hole, but it's coming from behind it now. Yeah, I know this isn't exactly what you were hoping for. When you imagine seeing through a black hole, you want to know what it looks like inside, right? Well, to do that, we would need to travel past the event horizon, which is essentially the edge of a black hole. It's the point from which nothing can escape, not matter or light. So yeah, we won't be able to report our findings back to Earth, but maybe we just want to see it for ourselves. Anyway, after we pass the event horizon, we'll arrive at something called a singularity. It can be described as a point in space where mass has infinite density. Everything that goes into a black hole will end up here, including all the light it's sucked up. Because you'll be inside the black hole with the light, you will be able to see it, but it's direction will be all mixed up. You would probably just see a uniform glow if you looked away from the singularity and darkness. If you look towards it. And in true what if fashion, yeah, that would be the last thing you'd ever see. So if you don't want to make that sacrifice, but you still want to learn more about the inside of a black hole, then check out this week's What If Discussed podcast. We'll be talking to Professor Clifford Johnson about transparent black holes and New Age telescopes that will allow us to see further into space than ever before.