Space Time In-depth Definitions and how it Relates to Celestial Mechanics

Space time –

1. Also called space-time continuum. The four-dimensional continuum, having three spatial coordinates and one temporal coordinate, in which all physical quantities may be located.
2. The physical reality that exists within this four-dimensional continuum.

Space time is the essence of gravity outside of the planet’s atmosphere. This space time continuum is the intertwining of space (Length width and Height) and time. Although we can move up down left right exc. In space we can only move forward in time. The space aspect of the continuum is the universe and all other matter and antimatter that resides in the continuum. The time aspect of the continuum is the progression forward or backward in time. In Einstein’s theory of relativity space is a singular point on a line of time. This point has no dimensions and is a singular, 1 dimensional entity. One place where a point like this might be found is the “bottom” of a black hole; this point is also called a singularity.

Singularity-

1. Mathematics: a single point

2. Astronomy: mathematical representation of a black hole

Black holes are amazing objects of matter around a singularity. Gravity around a black hole is so much that nothing, not even light can escape. After a piece of matter crosses an imaginary line called the event horizon it is stretched in something called the great stretch. The great stretch occurs when the front of a piece of matter is pulled into the black hole and the back of the matter stays out. Since the front of the matter is moving faster it is stretched until the back of the matter crosses the event horizon. Please keep in mind that this is all theoretical and none of it has yet to be proved.

There are four types of black holes known to man. A black hole consists of two distinguishing factors; these are spin and charge.

·         Schwarzschild black holes consist of no charge or no spin, just a singularity and an event horizon.

·         Reissner-Nordstrom black holes have charge but no spin creating two event horizons after matter crosses the first one it is sucked inward but once it crosses the second it is no longer sucked inward trapping the matter.

·        Kerr black holes have spin and charge. Matter is dragged inward and swirled around after crossing the first event horizon and then sucked directly inward after crossing the next event horizon. You may also be wondering at this point what black holes have to do with space time so here is an explication.

Space time curvature-

                                1. The warping of the space time continuum.

Space time curvature is the curving or warping of the space time plane. The space time plane is an imaginary 2D surface that can be warped or curved by gravity. Space Time curvature is when an object of great density or gravity curves the space time plane. Black holes which have a singularity of great density and gravity warp space time so much that in places it is theoretical that space time might “break” and that it would open up a “wormhole” to another universe.

Einstein’s theory of relativity says that this could be created and at the other end of the “wormhole” would be a white hole. White holes are the exact opposite of black holes; they eject matter into the space around hem. There are two main problems to this theory. One is that the matter spewed from the white hole would be so dense that it would create a black hole that would in turn swallow the white hole. The second problem is that the theory of relativity says that a white hole could only exist in a perfect black hole. This would mean that if a piece of matter touched the event horizon the white hole would collapse. So my unit is celestial mechanics; how does space time curvature relate?

Celestial Mechanics-

                1. The branch of astronomy that deals with the application of the laws of dynamics and Newton’s law of gravitation to the motions of heavenly bodies.

                Celestial mechanics has to do with the motion of orbiting bodies and their attractions to each other.  The main factor of space time curvature is how it affects the orbits of near by planets or orbiting bodies. Compare space time curvature to a bowl and put an orange in the middle; this orange represents the sun. So now compare a marble to an orbiting space craft. If you roll the marble slow enough it will circle some and then crash into the orange. If you roll it at the right speed it will orbit endlessly and if you roll it too fast it will fly out of the bowl. This is escape velocity.

                Escape Velocity-

                        1. The minimum speed that an object at a given distance from a gravitating body must have so that it will continue to move away from the body instead of orbiting about it.

                Escape velocity is essential for crafts that plan to explore outside the solar system. To escape only earth’s footprint you have to be moving a 7 feet per second. Before exploring the outer reaches of the solar system we will have to create crafts that can move at more than 70 fps. This is one of the only reasons why the race to another solar system has been hindered and also the fact that the closest is 20 light years away.

Resources:

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Space-Time: Continuums & Curvature. Think Quest. No date.

http://library.thinkquest.org/2890/index.htm

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http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/space/spacestories/index.asp?article=exploration

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Black Holes. LLC. 2006. http://science.qj.net/-Black-holes-put-under-Suzaku-s-

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Physicists plan search for the known unknowns. Nature. 2007.

http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/445468b

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