Name________________________________________________ Period______ Black Holes Reading Questions Please read the handout on Black Holes and answer the following questions. 1. What are black holes? 2. Define the terms singularity and event horizon. 3. What would happen if the sun suddenly became a black hole? 4. What is the Schwarzschild radius and what does it represent in terms of the black hole’s gravitational field? 5. What would the Schwarzschild radius be for a black hole formed by the sun? 6. What evidence do scientists have that confirms the existence of black holes? 7. What is Cygnis X-1 and what is the evidence that it contains a black hole? Name________________________________________________ Period______ 8. What are Active Galaxies and what kinds of black holes are thought to be at their center? 9. What are the 3 types of active galaxies? 10. How are supermassive black holes thought to form? 11. What is a Seyfert Galaxy and what is responsible for the gamma ray emissions from these galaxies? 12. What is unusual about the emission lines from Seyfert Galaxies? 13. What are Quasars and how do they differ from Seyfert Galaxies? 14. Why do some scientists believe that Seyfert Galaxies and Quasars may be the same thing and what evidence do they have to support this hypothesis? Name________________________________________________ Period______ 15. What are Blazars and how do they differ from Quasars? 16. What are the properties that are required for an AGN to be classified as a Blazar? 17. What are the two types of Blazar and how many of each type have been identified?
