The illusion of being faster than light
Recently scientists have spotted something that appeared to be moving 7 times faster than the Speed of Light in a supernova like event.
- It also recorded an unusual jet of matter, a mass of ionized materials. This created the illusion of traveling faster than light. Such a phenomenon is called superluminal motion.
- According to this new study, the actual speed of a beam stream of ionized substances was 99.97% of the speed of light.
- A distant object may appear to be moving faster than the speed of light, provided it has some component of motion towards us. Also, it should be perpendicular to the line of sight.
- This study also strengthens the hypothesis that the merger of such neutron stars is responsible for gamma & ray bursts (GRBs).
- GRBs are short-lived bursts of gamma-radiating light. It is the most energetic form of light. These only exist for a few milliseconds to several minutes.
- The Global Astrometric Interferometer for Astrophysics (GAIA) spacecraft was used in this study to accurately measure the Lorentz factor.
- The Lorentz factor is also known as the relativistic factor. It is a fundamental component of special relativity. It measures the fact that a physical quantity changes with the velocity of a body through space.
Black Hole:
A black hole is a celestial body where the gravitational pull is so strong that even light cannot escape it.
It produced in the following ways:
- When the core of a massive star is destroyed automatically.
- It is also probably formed by the merger of various black holes at the time of the formation of the Milky Way.
- It is formed in the transitions immediately after or after the Big Bang.
- Black holes are also formed by the merger of neutron stars. Neutron stars are formed when the energy source of a massive star is exhausted and it is destroyed.
GAIA is a mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). Its goal is to survey about one billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
The largest and most accurate three-dimensional map of the Milky Way will be created through this survey.
Source – The Hindu
