Persistent illusion

[BABOafrica]

The thunderbolts project seems to have something against black holes.

I have no idea whether or not they exist. I can understand why you argue that black holes should not be invoked to explain phenomenon that can be explained by EM forces. I fully agree that EM forces can explain much that gravity alone cannot. But precisely because of the EU theory, it seems to me that enormous amounts of matter would be concentrated at the center of a galaxy.

And there seems to be empirical evidence showing the orbits of stars around something totally invisible at the center of the Milky Way.

Sincerely,
Joe

[davesmith_au]

That's probably best explained by Stephen Crothers.

Cheers, Dave.

[davesmith_au]

Probably should have added a bit to that. No-one is saying there is not something exerting an extreme force at the center of our galaxy, and many others. But quite simply, a singularity is a mathematical construct.

[BABOafrica]

So what do the EU theorists call the dark blob at the center of the Milky Way?

There is no "dark blob" at the center of the Milky Way.

It might help to have a TPOD explaining what you said. With all the negatives against black holes, the TPODs give the impression (at least to an amateur like me) that EU denies the existence of an extremely dense mass at the center of the Milky Way, that so far remains utterly invisible. After all, extremely dense and utterly invisible defines black hole for the average guy like me.

Again, there is obviously something exerting a strong force at the center of the Milky Way. This MAY imply an extremely dense object. Black holes however are not just extremely dense, but are defined by the existence of a singularity which is a mathematical result, not an established physical entity. There should be at least two physics commandments we would be wise to observe:

1. Thou shalt not multiply by infinity.

And

2. Thou shalt not divide by zero.

Both infinity and zero need to be approached with great care when relating math to the real environment in which we live.

Cheers, Dave.

[BABOafrica]

I fully agree with the bit about multiplying by infinity and dividing by zero.

Even so, I think the center of the Milky Way must be occupied by something massive for two reasons, one theoretical and the other observational. (Of course, both are, in turn, dependent on what in read in websites.)

Theoretically, following EU theory, the Z-pinch at the center of the Milky Way (or any galaxy) would squeeze together vast quantities of matter and squeeze it all together even more forcefully than gravity would.

Observationally, there are several stars (for me, SO2 is the most impressive) orbiting the center of the Milky Way in exactly the kind of orbit you would expect from an object held in orbit by gravity. The orbit implies something massive at the center of that orbit.

Cheers,
Joe