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White Holes

White Holes: The Universe's Own 'No Entry' Sign

written by Elisavet Dionysia Chiou

Let’s admit it—astrophysics concepts like black holes, wormholes, and now white holes (!) might seem difficult to grasp. I promise, however, that Rovelli, in his book “White Holes,” does something incredible: he doesn’t just explain what white holes are; he makes you relive the moments when, as a child, you looked up the night sky and wondered “do we really know everything that is out there?”.

Carlo Rovelli, the beloved physicist and author, takes us through the compelling mystery of white holes—the opposite of the notorious black holes. Imagine a place where time moves in reverse (not literally); nothing can enter, and everything is expelled. If a black hole gobbles up matter with a hunger that nothing can escape, a white hole is its complementary opposite—an object that ejects matter with just as much vigor, never letting anything in. White holes are space-time regions where nothing- not even light- can enter. They spit things out like a cosmic fountain, which raises questions like: where does all that stuff come from? Is there a link to black holes? Is it possible that black holes can turn into white ones or vice versa?

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Maybe white holes are crucial to solving the paradoxes of black holes, or perhaps they’re the missing pieces of a puzzle that explain where the universe came from and where it’s heading.

 

Rovelli carefully dissects these questions, presenting them with an infectious curiosity. The magic of his writing lies in his ability to shrink down concepts of vastness and make them easy to understand. As an illustration, he introduces white holes not through intimidating equations or abstract theories but by talking to you about his journey as a researcher, the challenges he faced, his thoughts, and the way he looked at things then and now. In this journey, you are that traveler, and Rovelli is your companion, guiding you through wormholes, general relativity, and quantum mysteries.

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