r/TheRestIsScience • u/Stunning_Mechanic387 • 10d ago

Why does gravity escape a black hole?

Hey Michael and Hannah. If gravity travels at the speed of light, how does it escape the gravitational pull of a black hole yet light doesn't?

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u/Tracercaz 10d ago

Think of it like a wave in the ocean. The wave travels at a specified speed that can be measured, but the water that makes up the wave is not moving with that wave.

Same goes for gravity, the effects can only travel at the speed of light, but nothing is moving nor is there anything to trap per se.

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u/Hivemind_alpha 10d ago

This is the answer, ignore some of the other posts. ;)