Comment Re:Comfort (Score 1) 220
About 2.5 times the mass of the Sun, if memory serves.
Fortunately, the Earth isn't dense enough for its gravity to smash the electron shells of the atoms at its core (unlike its larger neighbors, the Sun and Jupiter). Atoms at the Earth's core are only slightly more compressed than the ones at the surface, which means they're still basically empty space.A black hole of the mass we're postulating here couldn't possibly absorb enough mass in this environment to offset the virtual pair evaporation effect. Poof...no more black hole.
On a related note, if this experiment does produce a black hole (possibly), and it does evaporate (certainly), producing a flash of energy and heavy particles, will this be recorded on the scientists' instruments? And if so, will they publicize this? (Probably not...the mere _possibility_ that this experiment could produce a black hole has so many people in an uproar...imagine what the reaction will be if the scientists then say, 'Well, the experiment _did_ create a black hole...but it's nothing to worry about.'.
But enough about the hard science...we've all done the math (at least most of us have), and the the conclusion is obvious...we're not in danger of having a black hole eat the Earth (at least not from this experiment). What we _are_ in danger of is the hysteria that this Moody character is perpetuating. I particularly find this amusing in the context of the approaching Y2K debacle.
People have enough to be freaked-out about at this particular moment in history...there's no reason to throw gas on the fire.
Fortunately, the Earth isn't dense enough for its gravity to smash the electron shells of the atoms at its core (unlike its larger neighbors, the Sun and Jupiter). Atoms at the Earth's core are only slightly more compressed than the ones at the surface, which means they're still basically empty space.A black hole of the mass we're postulating here couldn't possibly absorb enough mass in this environment to offset the virtual pair evaporation effect. Poof...no more black hole.
On a related note, if this experiment does produce a black hole (possibly), and it does evaporate (certainly), producing a flash of energy and heavy particles, will this be recorded on the scientists' instruments? And if so, will they publicize this? (Probably not...the mere _possibility_ that this experiment could produce a black hole has so many people in an uproar...imagine what the reaction will be if the scientists then say, 'Well, the experiment _did_ create a black hole...but it's nothing to worry about.'.
But enough about the hard science...we've all done the math (at least most of us have), and the the conclusion is obvious...we're not in danger of having a black hole eat the Earth (at least not from this experiment). What we _are_ in danger of is the hysteria that this Moody character is perpetuating. I particularly find this amusing in the context of the approaching Y2K debacle.
People have enough to be freaked-out about at this particular moment in history...there's no reason to throw gas on the fire.
