A lot has been made about the Large Hadron Collider, which is scheduled to resume operations this October, and some are wondering whether the collider is capable of destroying the world. The most “likely” scenario I’ve heard is that the collider could cause the formation of a black hole which would suck Earth into crushing oblivion.
Believe it or not, the creation of black holes is hoped for as it would help confirm the existence of theoretical dimensions, among other things.
And you needn’t worry. Look at any object on your desk. If it were to collapse into a black hole, you would not be sucked into it, not unless you got so close as to enter its event horizon. Gravity correlates to mass, and if a book collapsed into a black hole, its mass would remain the same, as would its gravity. (Actually, a book would have to be compressed to such an infinitesimal size that if it were to form a black hole, you’d be hard pressed to notice it, I bet.)
Such is the case at the Large Hadron Collider as well. Black holes may very well be formed, but they certainly aren’t going to destroy the earth. Remember: Even if our own sun collapsed into a black hole, Earth would continue orbiting it as usual — the sun’s gravity would remain constant.
So don’t fret this October. Unless you’re worried about an out-of-control antimatter reaction. ;)
Just kidding!
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