Black holes are formed by collapsing cores of massive stars, where a neutron star may turn into a black hole if it is large enough. The virtual event horizon within the neutron star expands until it meets the surface and forms a black hole with an escape velocity equal to the speed of light. The size of a black hole's event horizon is crucial to determine its formation, and it grows as the neutron star shrinks. Earth theoretically has a similar virtual event horizon, with a diameter comparable to that of a plum if it were a black hole.
Is space infinitely stretchable? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice explore fan grab bag questions about supermassive black holes, Planck lengths, and the gravitational wave background with extragalactic astrophysicist and host of PBS Space Time, Matt O’Dowd.
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