The
ninth chapter, titled The Infinite Future, teaches readers about the creation
of different types of stars and other massive objects in space. Gravity is
assumed to be the cause of the creation of dwarf stars, neutron stars, and
black holes.
Gravity
is an infinitely long ranged force that acts based not only on the mass of an
object, but also its size. As an object becomes more massive, its gravitational
pull increases. In addition, as an object with the same mass decreases in size,
its gravitational pulls increases. This is because the gravitational force of
an object follows an inverse square law based on its mass and radius. It is
useful to imagine that as a massive object contracts due to its own
gravitation, its gravitational force increases.
Stars
like the Sun are capable of keeping their size and not shrinking because of the
nuclear fusion inside of it. The conversion of light elements such as hydrogen
into heavier elements such as helium produces enough of a pressure to allow the
Sun to keep its size. Inevitably, fusion will eventually burn out and lose to
the force of gravity. As a result, the Sun will eventually shrink and become a
white dwarf star. If the Sun was larger, they force of its gravity may force it
to shrink even further, into a neutron star. The density of a neutron star is
so immense that its electrons and protons form neutrons.
(above) This is a depiction of a white dwarf star
the size of Earth. Although both objects possess the same size, the white dwarf
star possesses a much stronger gravitational force due to its density.
Black
holes are mysterious things that possess such an immense amount of gravity that
an object must accelerate past the speed the light to escape from the force of
its gravitation. Black holes are the result of a massive star continually
collapsing due to the force of its own gravity.
Bibliography
Davies, Paul, and John Gribbin. The Matter Myth. New York: Orion Productions, 1992. Print
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