What Happens When Light Approaches a Black Hole?

In summary, light approaching a black hole is affected by the curved spacetime, causing it to follow a curved path towards the center of the black hole. This is due to the fact that nothing can move faster than the speed of light in vacuum. Despite this, light does not have mass and is still affected by gravity according to the theory of relativity.
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what happens to light as it approaches a black whole
Hello I am not a physics student and i don't know anything about science, but i was curious if someone could tell me about what happens when light approaches a black hole i have heard that nothing goes faster than light but i have also heard that black holes can suck in light, combined with the fact that if a person was to enter a black whole whatever was clossest would move towards the center faster than whatever was far away does this not affect light the same way because it can't move faster than it already is? so does the light just turn and head towards the black hole at the same speed with no loss of speed and no increase in speed? and does this mean that light has mass? because how can it affect something with no mass?
 
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Defining speed in relativity is a somewhat tricky thing. Local measurements will always have light going at the same speed and everything else going slower. Remote measurements can give almost anything as a speed - it depends how you choose to define "space" and "time" in spacetime. The key fact is that, however you define speed, nothing ever overtakes a light pulse in vacuum under any circumstances.

Light does not have mass. Relativity models gravity as the curvature of spacetime - everything is affected, with mass or without. Light paths are curved towards the black hole, just like everything else (or at least the path through space is curved - the path through spacetime is straight).
 
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very cool thanks for explaining it to me
 

FAQ: What Happens When Light Approaches a Black Hole?

What is a black hole?

A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape from it. It is formed when a massive star dies and collapses under its own gravity.

How does light behave near a black hole?

As light approaches a black hole, it is affected by the strong gravitational pull. The light's path will be bent, and it will appear to be redshifted, meaning its wavelength is stretched out. Eventually, as the light gets closer to the black hole's event horizon, it will be completely absorbed, and no light will be able to escape.

What happens when light reaches the event horizon of a black hole?

The event horizon is the point of no return for anything approaching a black hole. When light reaches the event horizon, it is pulled into the black hole and cannot escape. This is because the escape velocity at the event horizon is greater than the speed of light.

Can we see a black hole?

No, we cannot see a black hole directly because it does not emit any light. However, we can observe the effects of a black hole on its surroundings, such as the bending of light and the accretion disk of matter swirling around it.

What is the relationship between light and time near a black hole?

As light approaches a black hole, it is affected by the intense gravitational field and experiences time dilation. This means that time appears to slow down for an outside observer as the light gets closer to the black hole. At the event horizon, time appears to stop altogether.

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