Is dark energy affected by black holes?
Can dark energy escape super-massive black holes?
Dark energy can escape a black hole, no matter what size the black hole is and no matter how close the dark energy is to the center of the black hole. This is because dark energy is not affected by gravity at all.
Dark energy is what causes the universe to expand faster and faster, and this means that it actually has an effect opposite gravity's, since gravity pulls things together. So, while gravity causes things like stars and planets to be attracted to each other and become physically closer, dark energy makes everything in the universe become more distant because it makes the universe stretch bigger and bigger.
For this reason, it is the only thing in the universe, as far as we know, that is not affected by supermassive black holes.
Still Curious?
Get More 'Curious?' with Our New PODCAST:
- Podcast? Subscribe? Tell me about the Ask an Astronomer Podcast
- Subscribe to our Podcast | Listen to our current Episode
- Cool! But I can't now. Send me a quick reminder now for later.
More questions about Cosmology and the Big Bang: Previous | Next
More questions about Black Holes and Quasars: Previous | Next
How to ask a question:
If you have a follow-up question concerning the above subject, submit it here. If you have a question about another area of astronomy, find the topic you're interested in from the archive on our site menu, or go here for help.
Main Page | About Us | For Teachers | Astronomy Links | Ask a Question | View a Random Question | Our Podcast
URL: http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=760
This page has been accessed 7972 times since September 3, 2009.
Last modified: October 7, 2009 2:27:03 PM
Ask an Astronomer is hosted by the Astronomy Department at Cornell University and is produced with PHP and MySQL.
Warning: Your browser is misbehaving! This page might look ugly. (Details)