e a tremendous gravitational pull. The name astronomers have given this particular gravitation pull or collapse is a black hole (Hawking). The black hole is an eating machine that causes the gasses and matter within the vicinity to “grow searingly hot and [radiate] enormous amounts of energy” (Voit 43). Science writer, Steve Olsen describes a black hole as “. . . the most exotic things in the universe – objects that pack the mass of millions or billions of suns into a volume no larger than our solar system” (50). Computer simulations are used to demonstrate how galactic collisions could produce gravitational effects pulling enormous masses of gas toward the center of the galaxies. The huge concentration could turn into a black hole, “. . .and matter swirling into the hole would generate prodigious amounts of radiation” (Peterson 60). The extremely energetic, quasi-stellar object or quasar is thought to be powered by supermassive black holes and the active galaxy is where these phenomena reside. These quasars and active galaxies that are billions of light-years away have been found using radio astronomy and a technique called spectroscopy. Modern technological tools, such as ground-based telescopes, space telescopes like Hubble, and the Very Long Baseline Interferometry Space Observatory (VSOP), have also proven useful analytical tools for astronomers. Black holes and quasars are interdependent theories. The explanation of black holes leads to an explanation for quasars. These phenomena lead astronomers to believe that there may be places in the universe where the laws of physics may break down, opening doors to new theories for future astronomers (Hawkings). ...
