How would a black hole affect earth?

Question

Olivia Aldridge · Accepted Answer

Depends on how close it is to Earth.

A black hole can have a mass of a few solar masses, or one solar mass is equal to a few thousand solar masses. We will orbit a rather small black hole if the Earth is kept safely away from it. Without sunlight, on the other hand, we would perish—just think of the Sun without sunlight. The closer we get to the black hole, the slower time seems to pass in comparison to an observer at a safe distance. We don't slow down in our own time, but if Scott Kelly were to see us from the International Space Station, we would appear to be traveling back in time. People who live facing the black hole will age more slowly than those who live on the other side of the planet, even closer to the black hole. We'll be pulled even closer, because some parts of our bodies are closer to the black hole than others. The parts of your body that are ripped apart will tear apart, and their pieces will tear apart too (yes, that word is spaghettification). We have no idea what happens after passing into the even horizon. You might want to catch up on Stephen Hawking's most recent findings regarding black holes. Salutations.

Levi Acosta · Answer

undefined Though unlikely given the vast distances between black holes and Earth, if a black hole were to approach, its gravitational pull would disrupt Earth's orbit and cause catastrophic effects like extreme tidal forces, earthquakes, and volcanic activity.