Astronomy   View all facts   Glossary   Help

physical object > natural object > theoretical celestial body > singularity > white hole

white hole comparison table

Subject	has definition	is a kind of	has antonym
singularity	If the standard big bang theory is extrapolated all the way back to time zero, one reaches an instant of infinite density, infinite pressure, and infinite temperature - an instant that is frequently called the initial singularity. This singularity is sometimes said to mark the beginning of time, but it is more realistic to recognize that an extrapolation to infinite density cannot be trusted.	theoretical celestial body
white hole	The time-reversal of a black hole. A white hole is a singularity from which matter emerges unpredictably, but into which matter cannot enter. The initial singularity of the standard big bang theory is an example of a white hole. It can be shown that the creation of a new universe from a false vacuum bubble in the context of classical general relativity would require a white hole singularity, which means essentially that it cannot be done, even in principle. However, a false vacuum bubble could conceivably grow to become a new universe through a process of quantum tunneling.	singularity	black hole

Next singularity: wormhole    Up: singularity    Previous singularity: Schwarzschild singularity