NASA has titillated the interest of curious minds once more. But this time it’s because of a space expedition, rather a simulation of a black hole. Yes, you read that right. NASA has released a breath-taking visualization of a black hole, which, needless to say has gone viral.

“Don’t stare at this video too long—you might get pulled in,” NASA captioned the post with a touch of humor. However, one cannot deny that the visualization has definitely ‘pulled in’ a lot of people, evident from the 2.6 million views it gathered in less than half a day since it was posted!

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The caption also provided an explanation about the simulation.

“This visualization simulates the appearance of a black hole as seen on its edge, where inbound matter has collected into a thin, hot structure called an accretion disk. The black hole’s extreme gravity alters the paths of light coming from different parts of the disk, making rings of matter visible above and below. At the center lies the black hole’s shadow, an area roughly twice the size of the event horizon — its point of no return.”

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The visualization depicts ‘rings’ of different hues of orange against a dark background i.e., space, demonstrating how the black hole’s enormous gravity bends everything around it, influencing our view. When the structure which looks a bit similar to Saturn, moves from vertical to horizontal position, it makes you wonder whether the black hole is actually moving or if its a trick played by its warping abilities.

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As mesmerizing the visual is, this is not the first time NASA has posted a simulation of the black hole. Six months after scientists with the Event Horizon Telescope unveiled the first actual photograph of a black hole and its shadow, a similar representation was published in 2019.

Humans have long been fascinated by space. After all, not everyone has the opportunity to experience it first-hand. But more interesting than the stars, planets, moons, asteroids, meteors, galaxies and perhaps even ‘aliens’ are the mysterious yet enigmatic black holes. A brilliant gaseous star ablaze with heat and light transforming into a dark, formidable and unfathomable pit is a striking contrast in itself.