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Black-hole physics

The Ergosphere

The region just outside the event horizon of a rotating (Kerr) black hole where spacetime itself is dragged around so fast that nothing can stay still relative to the distant stars. Energy can, in principle, be extracted from a black hole's rotation here through the Penrose process. A non-rotating black hole has no ergosphere.

Highlights

  • Where spacetime is dragged around a spinning black hole

Knowledge connections

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration

    Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.

    Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.