Submitted by lunarmoonr t3_ym8o1w in science
Pegajace t1_iv3dvim wrote
Reply to comment by Nobpointe in Closest known black hole to Earth spotted by astronomers by lunarmoonr
This black hole presents no threat to us whatsoever. It's one hundred million times further away from Earth than the Sun is, and it's only got ten times the Sun's mass. Since the force of gravity decreases according to the square of the distance between objects, the effect it has on us is so tiny it can't be measured. For example, the dwarf planet Pluto pulls on the Earth with a gravitational force ~1,500 times greater than the black hole does, simply because Pluto is millions of times closer.
Even if the black hole was vacuuming us in at the speed of light (which, to be clear, it will not and cannot do), it's still 1,600 light-years away and would take 1,600 years for the Earth to get there—not exactly a problem for this generation.
DenverBVB t1_iv3gzkk wrote
We must prepare now!
PickledSmallpox t1_iv3ltit wrote
What if the black hole creates jobs?
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