Who coined the term "black hole", based on an infamous Calcutta prison?

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Study for the NOVA Black Hole Apocalypse Astronomy Test. Explore astronomy with our rich content. Use flashcards and multiple-choice questions to enhance your knowledge. Prepare effectively and uncover the mysteries of black holes. Get ready for your exam!

Multiple Choice

Who coined the term "black hole", based on an infamous Calcutta prison?

Explanation:
John Archibald Wheeler coined the term “black hole” in the 1960s. He chose a vivid, memorable image to describe a region of space whose gravity is so intense that light cannot escape, and he drew on the striking name Black Hole of Calcutta to evoke that idea. This catchy wording made the concept much easier to grasp and popularized it across textbooks and media. While many scientists contributed to our understanding of black holes—Einstein laid the theory of general relativity, Schwarzschild found the first exact solution, Penrose developed important singularity results, and Hawking explored radiation from black holes—the actual nickname originated with Wheeler.

John Archibald Wheeler coined the term “black hole” in the 1960s. He chose a vivid, memorable image to describe a region of space whose gravity is so intense that light cannot escape, and he drew on the striking name Black Hole of Calcutta to evoke that idea. This catchy wording made the concept much easier to grasp and popularized it across textbooks and media.

While many scientists contributed to our understanding of black holes—Einstein laid the theory of general relativity, Schwarzschild found the first exact solution, Penrose developed important singularity results, and Hawking explored radiation from black holes—the actual nickname originated with Wheeler.

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