What Would Happen if You Fell Into a Black Hole?

If you plummeted into a black hole, your body would be ripped apart in a process called “spaghettification.”

By Eric Betz
Jul 29, 2020 5:00 PM
black hole mccandless
If an astronaut fell into a black hole, they wouldn't have a peaceful ride. They'd be stretched out like a noodle. (Credit: NASA (astronaut); NASA/ESA and G. Bacon, STScI (black hole illustration)

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Sorry, science fiction fans. You can’t actually survive a trip through a black hole. And if you tried to take a plunge into one, like Matthew McConaughey in the movie Interstellar, you’d be ripped apart long before you could find out what’s on the other side.

What is a Black Hole?

To fully appreciate why you can’t just swan dive or pilot your spaceship into a black hole, you must first understand the basic properties of these gravitational goliaths. Simply put, a black hole is a place where gravity is so strong that no light — or anything else, for that matter — can escape.

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