Lesson plan
Spaghettification
In astrophysics, spaghettification, or noodle effect is the vertical stretching and horizontal compression of objects into long thin shapes in a very strong, non-homogeneous gravitational field. The term was popularized by Stephen Hawking who described the flight of a fictional astronaut who, passing within a black hole's event horizon, is "stretched like spaghetti". It is caused by extreme tidal forces. In the most extreme cases, near a black hole, the stretching and compression are so powerful that no object can resist it. Within a small region, the horizontal compression balances the vertical stretching so that a small object being spaghettified experiences no net change in volume. If a person were to fall into a black hole feet first, the gravity at their feet would be much stronger than at their head, causing them to be vertically stretched. Along with that, the right side of the body will be pulled to the left, and the left side of the body will be pulled to the right, horizontally compressing the person.
Article summary
In astrophysics, spaghettification, or noodle effect is the vertical stretching and horizontal compression of objects into long thin shapes in a very strong, non-homogeneous gravitational field. The term was popularized by Stephen Hawking who described the flight of a fictional astronaut who, passing within a black hole's event horizon, is "stretched like spaghetti". It is caused by extreme tidal forces. In the most extreme cases, near a black hole, the stretching and compression are so powerful that no object can resist it. Within a small region, the horizontal compression balances the vertical stretching so that a small object being spaghettified experiences no net change in volume. If a person were to fall into a black hole feet first, the gravity at their feet would be much stronger than at their head, causing them to be vertically stretched. Along with that, the right side of the body will be pulled to the left, and the left side of the body will be pulled to the right, horizontally compressing the person.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.