... denied the reality of such object; however, modern physicists continue to base their views on a growing body of observations. The term black holes was coined by the American scientist, John Wheeler in 1967, although the concept of it had dated back more than two hundred years. ... he called "dark stars", objects that would have to be very massive and extremely dense to have this kind of force. Black holes are thought to be formed from massive stars that collapse from their own gravity to form an object whose density is infinite. During ... holes" because if they exist they are relics o...

• Word Count: 984
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Theories in Astronomy In the relatively new science of astronomy the doors are wide open for new theories and principles regarding black holes, supernovas, extrasolar planets, and other astronomical phenomenon's. The fact is that these phenomenon's are so mysterious ... . Astronomy is an observational science rather than an experimental. In addition, we can hardly fathom the distances, masses, and speeds of the phenomenon's. For instance, Zimmerman proceeds to state that the black hole contains a mass of 2.6 million times that of the sun. This number if actually written ... uncertainty reigns...

• Word Count: 618
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... not actually a star at all. They are the remnant core of very massive, collapsed stars which have undergone a Type II supernova. They are extremely small for a celestial body, are composed purely of neutrons, and are incredibly dense (Chaisson, 2002). A typical neutron star is about 20 km in diameter, which is ... gravity. Since supernovas are known to occur about once every 30 years, and because most supernovae tend to create neutron stars as opposed to black holes, in the 10 billion year lifetime of the galaxy there have probably been from 108 to 109 neutron stars formed (Shu, 1982). N...

• Word Count: 907
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate