Hi Jim. I'm certainly no expert, but I understand that an awful lot can happen to matter as it approaches the event horizon, and these processes account for the energetic jets and other phenomena observed within the regions near a black hole. I'm reminded of a short story by SF author Larry Niven where the hero encounters tidal forces near a massive object (I believe it was an anti-matter star) that nearly destroyed him and his spacecraft. The manufacturers of the craft's hull had to make good on an unconditional warranty to replace the hull, but did not readily comprehend the tidal phenomenon because in their world there was no Earth-Moon analogue to relate to. At least that's how I remember the story from about 35 years ago. Kim -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Jim Gibson Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 8:01 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Black holes leak? After I read Joe?s blog I went over and read Sheena?s. In reading her article on ?Light from the darkness? I realized I have missed a step (or 10) along the way in my understanding of black holes. On TV when ever someone is discussing black holes they always emphasize that the gravity in the black hole is so intense that not even light can escape from it. So, how do we get these radio jets escaping from a black hole as depicted in the galaxy Centaurus A? Jim _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://gallery.utahastronomy.com Visit the Wiki: http://www.utahastronomy.com No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.15/1923 - Release Date: 1/29/2009 7:13 AM No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.16/1925 - Release Date: 1/30/2009 7:37 AM