Are black holes a proven reality or purely theoretical?

Question

Are black holes a proven reality or purely theoretical?

Answer 1

There are several stars that are orbiting unseen massive objects. Objects so massive that they are pulling away the stars outer layer and that material becomes so energized that it gives X-rays and gamma rays before it disappears.

Using an estimate of the observable star's mass, the speed and orbit around it's unseen companion and the energy produced by hot gasses that are being siphoned off the the observable star -all add up to a Black Hole. Nothing else could explain what's being seen in the telescopes.

No one has yet held a Black Hole in their hands and all the evidence for a Black Hole has been by indirect observations but most scientists see then as a fact. Also the theories behind a Black Hole are simple, elegant and very sound.  

You can't say that Black Holes are "proven" but there is far more evidence of Black Holes then there is of many other phenomena that no one else questions. The thing about Black Holes is how counter intuitive they are compared to things we see as normal.

Answer 2

  Strictly theoretical entities

  They can be represented mathematically and the logic that sustains then is really elegant but there are several very good reasons why black holes are non viable entities.

Answer 3

i guess they are proven, but im not scared at all cause i know i have God in my heart and He is always there. (:

Answer 4

The truth lies somewhere in between, although I'd argue that is there huge middle ground between your two choices. "Near as damnit" I think describes the reality of black holes. The fact that black holes are invisible makes them difficult to "prove" that they conclusively exist, but that's not to say that the evidence for them is not strong. I'm happy to accept that the body of evidence for black holes "proves" their existence. In fact, the case for supermassive black holes is actually far stronger than that for stellar mass black holes. It's very difficult to imagine an object, other than a black hole, that could possess the mass of billions of suns. With stellar mass black hole candidates, there's always the chance that they could be something else.

Answer 5

proven and observed

edit -

actually what the drunken fool said is correct. only their effects have been observed.

Answer 6

Proven, CERN are trying to create one now.

Answer 7

they were theorised, and their effects have been observed, but we have yet to actually "see" a black hole, for obvious reasons.

Answer 8

Yes they are real objects, because the same question can be asked about atoms. Neither atoms nor black holes have ever been observed directly, but their effects on surrounding material lets researchers determine many of their properties.

Black holes are not as well understood as atoms however. This is  because of gravity. It is the only one of the five fundamental forces in physics which can not be expressed in terms of any other force. Gravity is insignificant in atoms, but it predominates in black holes. Thus, we can't describe black holes in terms of electromagnetism nor nucleur forces, because these forces can't be directly equated to gravity.

Answer 9

Discovered phenomenon - Observed - Proven = Reality

Answer 10

There are very large black holes in the cores of most galaxies. The size of the galaxy and the size of the black hole are related, interestingly enough. We also know of smaller black holes in various places in our galaxy.

So, yes, they exist and have been observed.

Answer 11

Black Holes have been proven to once have been stars that have burnt out and collapsed on it self.  It is also a proven fact that not even light can escape a black hole's pull of gravity

                                                           -Cookie-

Answer 12

Proven by observation of its effects (which point to its existence), since we can't actually see a black hole.

Answer 13

Black holes can never really be observed.  Only the effects they have on objects can be observed.  And yup, they have observed the effects on stars and light and such.  Humans are smart.

Answer 14

They are purely theoretical, in the same way that gravity is purely theoretical. We can see their effects, but we can't see them.

Answer 15

they have been observed when they get infront of a star, cause they bend the light as it passes. but it hasnt been proven if they are the black holes that we theorize about cause we have no way of testing them.

Answer 16

I think they are proven.

Answer 17

its proven. they usually happen when a star die but some occur with unknown reason.

sizes of black holes

Class                                         Mass                          Size

Supermassive black hole            ~105 - 109 MSu   ~0.001 - 10 AU

Intermediate-mass black hole     ~103 MSun          ~103 km = REarth

Stellar-mass black holes            ~10 MSun           ~30 km

Primordial black hole          up to  ~MMoon up to   ~0.1 mm

hope this information help you.

Answer 18

Proven and photographed,,albeit a dark area known to contain one,,they`re still in the process of establishing the exact content and structure of these galactic hoovers

A star will at the end of it`s long life balloon into  a red dwarfe collapsing back into  a white dwarf and a few massive stars eventually reduce down to  ablack hole,just a name to a dead star who`s gravity has not diminished,They can be spotted by comaring photos of the same area over different nights and the wobble observed by individual stars,if the star appears to move then there must be a reason of the light being bent,after many more calculations ,observations and spectrographic analysing  a black hole can be announced as existing in a certain area,

Answer 19

They been proven just don't know where they will lead you to.

Answer 20

i think they have been proved.

Answer 21

We know that they exist and we also know that they absorb star material, but we can only conjecture as to where that "Material" goes to! the current theory is that it goes into another space/time continuity, a kind of parallel universe I would think! I only hope we get some star material back into our universe! I hate loaning things! don't you? lol.  

Answer 22

Without actually putting one in a bottle and shaking it about.

Proven.

But there may be a conspiracy theorist out there with another idea.

Answer 23

proven

Answer 24

Both i think. They do exist. People believe that imploding stars create them.