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PhilKravitz
When were the first black holes formed? How long after the big bang until black holes could form?
zhermes said:It is also possible that in the first seconds of the universe, micro-black-holes were formed, but they would have disappeared soon afterwords.
Remember that you start out with only fundamental particles, then protons, neutrons and electrons... and basics you're left with only those for a hundred million years (until the first stars are formed). Still, in the first small fractions of seconds, the energy of these particles were large enough that they could collide with each other---creating energy densities high enough to form a micro-black hole (with total mass roughly on the order of a proton or so).PhilKravitz said:Why would black holes formed in the first few seconds be micro in mass? Would any be macro in mass? What is the physics that makes early black holes only micro?
Black holes are formed when a massive star dies and collapses under its own gravity. This process is called a supernova, and it occurs after the star runs out of fuel and can no longer support its own weight. The remaining core of the star collapses into an incredibly dense object, known as a black hole.
The first black holes are believed to have formed just a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. However, these were likely smaller "primordial" black holes, and it wasn't until much later that the first supermassive black holes formed from the merging of smaller black holes and gas clouds.
Black holes are invisible to the naked eye, as they do not emit any light. However, we can detect their presence through their gravitational effects on surrounding matter. For example, we can observe the movement of stars and gas around a black hole, or detect the radiation emitted by matter as it falls into the black hole's event horizon.
According to current theories, black holes do not disappear. However, they can evaporate over time through a process called Hawking radiation, where pairs of particles are created near the black hole's event horizon. One particle falls into the black hole, while the other escapes, causing the black hole to gradually lose mass.
Black holes play a significant role in the evolution of galaxies. As they grow larger through mergers with other black holes and the accretion of matter, they release large amounts of energy that can affect the surrounding gas and stars. This process can regulate star formation and influence the overall structure and dynamics of a galaxy.