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65: Black Holes 101 & Tattoos
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Black holes are massive but compact regions in space with intense gravity that trap everything, even light.
- Detecting black holes requires indirect methods like observing surrounding matter and star movements instead of direct light emission.
- Tattoos serve as popular forms of self-expression, with diverse meanings and personal significance across cultures and individuals.
- Choose a specialized tattoo artist for intricate designs, prioritize aftercare like sunscreen, and consider the historical stigmatization of tattoos.
Deep dives
Understanding Black Holes
Black holes are regions in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. They are formed when massive stars collapse and their density creates an intense gravitational force. The concept was theorized back in the 1700s and further understood through Einstein's theory of relativity. Techniques like observing glowing matter around black holes and monitoring stars orbiting closely help confirm their existence and structure.
Spaghettification and Event Horizon
As an object approaches a black hole, a process known as spaghettification occurs, where the immense gravitational force stretches the object into a long, thin shape. The point of no return around a black hole, called the event horizon, marks the boundary where nothing, not even light, can escape the black hole's gravitational pull. The closest part of an object to the singularity gets pulled in faster due to the increasing gravity gradient.
Detection of Black Holes
Detecting black holes can be challenging since they do not emit light. Observations are made through observing the behavior of surrounding matter and analyzing the movement of stars in close proximity to black holes. The Event Horizon Telescope program captures images of glowing matter around black holes, and other observational techniques help identify these celestial bodies.
Tattoos and Statistics
Tattoos are a popular form of self-expression, with about 32% of people in the US having at least one tattoo. Many individuals get tattoos to honor or remember someone or something significant. Tattoos have become common symbols of personal stories and artistic expression, reflecting a diverse range of meanings for individuals.
Miscellaneous Topic: Tattoos
Tattoos are a popular form of self-expression, with many people using them to honor or remember someone or something. The art of tattooing has grown in popularity, with around 32% of the US population having at least one tattoo. Tattoo designs can hold deep personal significance and serve as unique symbols of individual stories and experiences.
Tattoo Artistry and Meaning
Tattoos hold diverse meanings and historical significance across cultures. Tattoos were used for status, ritual, and therapeutic purposes, like in Maori culture where they symbolized life journeys and protection. Modern stigmas against tattoos, especially towards women, are prevalent, impacting hiring decisions and societal perceptions.
Tattoo Application and Care
When getting a tattoo, choose a tattoo artist based on their specialty to ensure a successful design. Be cautious with delicate tattoos as fine lines may blur over time. Prioritize proper tattoo aftercare, including sunscreen application and avoiding direct sunlight to maintain tattoo quality and longevity.
Global Perceptions of Tattoos
Tattoos have faced historical stigmatization as symbols of shame or punishment across various cultures. Legal restrictions on tattoos still exist in countries like Japan and South Korea, highlighting ongoing societal taboos. Tattoos can carry cultural connotations and personal meanings, emphasizing the need for understanding and respect amidst evolving perceptions.
What happens when a star collapses to a point of near infinite gravity? And just how hard could that be to actually... find? And why do we love tattoos so much, and how long have human beings across the world been loving them too?
Check out Tom's first long form video that's finally out!
Images we Talk About:
The Crab Nebula
First Image of a Black Hole
Photo of OUR Black Hole, Sagiratius A
Ancient Siberian Tattoo
Timestamps:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:47) Black Holes 101
(00:57:51) Tattoos
(01:43:53) Outro
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We also learn about: black holes are massive (mass) but not massive (size), nothing can escape a black hole, supermassive black hole by muse, the closest black hole is 1000 light years away so we don’t need to worry about them too much, matter can’t escape the Plunging Region, does your McDonald also have black holes? stellar evolution, “they’re just big gassy balls doing nuclear fusion”, the fusion in a star pushes against the gravity keeping it in equilibrium, Caroline’s fear of the sun expanding, stellar corpse, a neutron star is just made of neutrons - that can’t be right, if you add too much flour (mass) this will turn into an atomic bomb (black hole), stop saying massive and start saying voluptuous to avoid confusion, one in every thousand stars could be a blac khole, “surely that’s not sustainable” “have I got news for you about the future of all things”, theorizing a black hole in 1783, we only get the word Black Hole in 1964, betting on Signus X1, finding black holes by nearby objects’ bright hot death screams, it took 2 years to process the black hole image, sorry I think it looks like a butthole, Sagitarius A - our galaxies butthole, deslicious spaghettification, we’re all being spaghettified, I’m being raviolified here! where do you go in a black hole? into a topic for another day, “tom saw the topic on me”, no inheritance until you tattoo me onto your butt, Caroline got a tattoo to honor pigeons, the above skin - the skin - and the below skin, phagocytosis, microphages contain and become the tattoo! “the art is your immune system” and we only knew this in 2018, Ötzi the Iceman had 57 tattoos, ella regrets letting us guess what tattoos he had, ritualistic and therapeutic tattoos, egyptian women tattoos, old preserved siberian tattoo, the painted picts, Tattoo comes from the Tahitian word Tatau, famed tattoo afficianado Charles Darwin, the meaning of polynesian tattoos, sailor tattoos were inspired by polynesians but adapted to things meaningful to them, sailor tattoos were like sailing achievements, shark repeller tattoos, ancient greek tattoos were literally “skin-stigmas”, stigma affects culture and culture affects stigma in a feedback loop, “true on all accounts for my case”, gender norms in tattoos, “ooh another means by which to put down women don’t mind if I do”, biases in the workplace,”it’s literally only skindeep”, tattoos are so personal and human of course you can’t assume or speak to all of them, they’re an art and they’re universal across cultures.
Sources:
NASA: Black Holes
Science News Explores: What are black holes?
Gravitational Collapse Overview
Goddard Space Flight Centre: The Life Cycles of Stars: How Supernovae Are Formed
Britannica: End States of Stars
Britannica: Evolution of High Mass Stars
Britannica: Origin of Chemical Elements
BBC Bitesize: The Lifecycle of Stars (GCSE Resource)
NASA: Neutron Stars Are Weird
Science News Explores: A Short History of Black Holes
Astronomy: A Brief History of Black Holes
Lind Hall Library: John Michell
American Museum of Natural History: The Country Parson Who Conceived of Black Holes
University of Chicago: Black Holes Explained
Astronomy: Cygnus X-1- The Black Hole that Started it All
Event Horizon Telescope: Astronomers Reveal First Image of the Black Hole at the Heart of Our Galaxy
1978 Article: A Supermassive Object in Galaxy M87
Space.Com: Where do Black Holes Lead To?
SYFY: How Worried Should We Be About Black Holes?
Podcast: The Guardians Science Weekly- White Holes
Image Source: NASA First Image of a Black Hole
Image Source: Event Horizon Telescope: FIrst Image of Black Hole at the Centre of the Milyway
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Pew Research: How Many People Have Tattoos?
The Science of Tattoos
Mouse Tail Tattoo Study
Wellcome Collection: A Brief History of Tattoos
Smithsonian: More History
Japan’s Tattooing History
Maori Tattoos
Polynesian tattoos
Pazyryk Tattoos (Very Cool)
First Female MP to Wear Moko
Sailor Tattoos
Broussard & Harton's Amazing Tattoo Stigma Study
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