The Gravastar: An Alternative to Black Holes?

Today, we thought that we would take a look at an alternative model for black holes. Personally, I"m not that fond of the idea in relation to it"s scientific validity, but I do think it is a very interesting hypothesis. Most of the time, we"re quite content to just sit back and follow the popular mindset in relation to scientific hypotheses and theories. Following the crowd and ignoring many of the "stranger" ideas that go against the norm is one way to ensure that you don"t look foolish; however, it is also one way to ensure that you remain stagnant. At the very least, we must be open to questioning. After all, that is what science is all about.

Nonetheless, we often cling to the tried and true. And this isn"t a recent trend; it is the way that we"ve been all through human history. For example, for many years, we believed that the Earth was flat and that one could eventually fall off of the globe. We also believed that the Earth was the center of the universe (some people still do). And several ancient civilizations even used to use mercury as a medicine. Fortunately, we tested these ideas and came up with better ones.

Which brings us to the Gravastar, an unconventional idea that is as interesting as it is odd. This hypothesis was originally put forward by Mazur and Mottola in 2004. Gravastar literally means "Gravitational Vacuum Condensate Star," which is (in theory) an extension of the Bose-Einstein Condensate and put forward as a part of gravitational systems. Ultimately, it is meant to stand as an alternative to black holes.

To read the full article, see: http://www.fromquarkstoquasars.com/the-gravastar-an-alternative-to-black-holes/

Image source:
NASA