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What would really happen if they created a black hole?
Mark Prigg, Science Correspondent10.09.08
First there would be an explosion so massive it would instantly destroy the Earth.
Then the material remaining would be sucked into an infinitesimally small space at speeds approaching the speed of light. Finally, a massive burst of energy would see X-rays spat out by the black hole.
The doomsday scenario predicted by some critics of the Hadron collider is not short on drama - but today experts said it was very short on probability.
Professor Jordan Nash, an Imperial College scientist who is also involved in the Cern project, said it was near to impossible to imagine such a possibility. The 15,000 Cern scientists are sure it will not create a black hole.
Even if it did, it would be a minuscule version of the massive cosmic phenomena which occur when giant stars collapse on themselves. Finally, if tiny black holes can be created, they would evaporate in a flash of gamma radiation, instead of sucking in mass around them.
"If we were to create a black hole at Cern, which we are certain will not happen, it would be a very tiny one, smaller than a cell in your body," he said. "I think the worst we will see today would be a power cut which meant we had to delay the experiment for a short time. Nothing could go wrong on the scale of a star collapsing, which is what some people have been talking about," he said.
"To create a giant black hole would take a star much bigger than the sun to collapse. We are not doing anything that doesn't occur in nature every day, and in our own atmosphere."
Reader views (13)
First off, the machine was merely turned on, partical collision won't happen for another month or two. So, the fact that the world didn't end when the machine was fired up doesn't really mean much seeing as how no particles were collided as of yet. Truth of the matter is "we" don't know with any degree of certitude exactly what will happen when these particles are collided so there is certainly an inherent risk in doing so. Any scientist worth his salt has to admit that however infinitesimal a chance it may be there is a chance that something undesirable may happen. Anyway, that being said, I say fire the thing up, smash those particles together and lets see what transpires. What's the worst that happens? A gateway to a hellish dimension is opened and we are sucked into a parallel universe where we are subjected to countless eons of pain and suffering at the hands of extra planer creatures? On second thought....
btw: perhaps the black holes we have witnessed in space are actually "grave yards" of previous civilizations who built their own LHC's ... 
- Mr. Pemberton, NY USA
I think you all need to find something more productive to with your time!
- Tim Staker, USA
Reminds me of the mist. And being so close to 2012 when it is said that our technology will be the end of us. This experiment seems to be happenning at the exact right time. And it depends on what you believe. Some think that black holes are a hole in the very fabric of space time. The fact is that we have so little information about where a black hole leads, I think it would be niave to think that the results would be totally benign. They base there benign as according the article on measuring the mass of a regular one to the mass of the one that they are creating. It is insane to measure something in those terms. "They just wanted a window to see - But they opened a door!" WHat if black holes lead to other dimensions? WHat if our future is waiting on the other side. There are too many if's to try to lace the expeiement with boudaries and too many things we dont know about our own system to beliefs and time to draw intelliegent conclusions about things we avent even experienced yet. We cant even figure out religion, We cant figure out how to get close to a real black hole. We can protect ourselves from the nature on our own world. A hurrican has us evacuating but people say that there is no danger in creating a black hole here no matter how small. I am not saying that there is one but I would definitely not push any opinions off the table when our knowledge is still based on theory.
- Randolph, United States
if there was a blak hole would it kill use or what would happen to use 
:0
i hope it does not kill me i have a new brith baby
when would it happen?
x write baxck as soon as poller xx
- Ann_Custance@Hotmail.Co.Uk, norfolk
So, they are carrying out this experiment to see what will happen when they crash protons together at the speed of light. The fact this is an experiment means that they have no idea what it going to happen when the collision occurs, hence the need for an experiment. How the hell can they be so sure then that something isn't going to go drastically wrong?
Answers on a postcard!
- Gavin, Maidstone, Kent
To Brandon Thomas: what catastrophic risk? Did you actually read this article?
- Andrew, London
Why Would they do such a thing if you ask me our would and lives are in their hands its out of order!
- Aniesha, Tooting sw17
Please stop the experiment. As the scientists say, it's "nearly" impossible to create a dangerous black hole, but the possibility is there. We don't want to know the origin of the universe but to have a normal life.
- Ky, Girona, Spain
How was this experiment approved if there were such catostrophic risks?
- Brandon Thomas, London SW7
I think you are playing god, we have so many other worries in the world without having blackholes to worry about, they always said man would destroy our planet.
- Linda, Daytona Beach, Fl- United States
Who needs the Hadron collider to create a black hole when you have inept government officials to do the same?
- Charles Siu, London UK
why today of all days weh you can kill billons of millons and thosands and so on of people.
- Charlie Venables, kent england
so there is a good chance we will not die.?
and we wont be sucked into a black hole?
- Rebecca, australia.
