Dark Matter Black Holes Could Fly through the Solar System Once a Decade (www.scientificamerican.com)

submitted 19 hours ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Black holes the size of an atom that contain the mass of an asteroid may fly through the inner solar system about once a decade, scientists say. Theoretically created just after the big bang, these examples of so-called primordial black holes could explain the missing dark matter thought to dominate our universe. And if they sneak by the moon or Mars, scientists should be able to detect them, a new study shows.

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[-] [email protected] 17 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

If dark matter is fully explained by such black holes, their most likely mass, according to some theories, would range from 10^17^ to 10^23^ grams—or about that of a large asteroid.

In case this doesn't tell you a lot, 10^17^ grams is half the weight of Mount Everest, and 10^23^ grams is 4x the weight of the Antarctic ice shield.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

The earth is estimated to "weigh" 13,170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds. (That is weird when you think about it. The weight of the earth being based on what something weighs on earth, I mean.)

Mt. Everest is only about 357,000,000,000,000 pounds and is just a tiny fraction of the mass of the earth.

So. My point is that we need a better way to portray scale of things in the universe. AUs work to a point but then we have to quickly move to parsecs. Parsecs quickly give way to light years. (Or vice-versa, depending on how you visualize things better.) Light years kinda work, but only for between 14-26 billion years. Even after all of that, I can hardly still fathom the size of Mt. Everest. (This was a rant, but not an angry rant.)

[-] [email protected] 11 points 9 hours ago

The earth is estimated to "weigh" 13,170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 pounds.

Mt. Everest is only 357,000,000,000,000 pounds

My point is that we need a better way to portray scale of things in the universe.

Well, for a start, God uses the metric system.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 9 hours ago

Fuckin everyone uses the metric system

[-] [email protected] 2 points 6 hours ago

Even aliens building the pyramids used the metric system

[-] [email protected] 14 points 18 hours ago

Hmmm how much would it be in football stadiums?

[-] [email protected] 4 points 9 hours ago

I can only do Olympic swimming pools or bananas.

[-] [email protected] 13 points 17 hours ago

One, if it was a football stadium the size of Mount Everest.

this post was submitted on 24 Sep 2024

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