{
  "id": 2998378,
  "title": "Can We Steal Energy from Black Holes? Part 1: Leveling Up Spacetime",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/24/can-we-steal-energy-from-black-holes-part-1-leveling-up-spacetime",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-24T10:20:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Universe Today",
    "slug": "universe-today",
    "url": "https://www.universetoday.com/articles/can-we-steal-energy-from-black-holes-part-1-leveling-up-spacetime"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1969, the renowned physicist Roger Penrose devised a method to extract energy from a black hole. The process involves flying a spacecraft near a spinning black hole, dropping a payload at a specific angle, and returning with more energy than initially used. The black hole's mass decreases, but no laws of physics are violated, and no energy is lost to the universe. Black holes, though often considered mysterious and illogical, offer a fascinating opportunity for energy acquisition.\n\nBefore delving into the mechanics of this energy extraction, it is crucial to grasp a fundamental physics concept: frame dragging. To understand frame dragging, we must first rethink our perception of spacetime. Traditionally, space has been viewed as an inert backdrop, on which objects move and exert forces. However, this level-1 perspective has been challenged by Einstein's general relativity, which proposes that spacetime is an active, dynamic entity with its own shape, curvature, and properties. Space and time can be bent, twisted, and even dragged by the presence of mass and energy.\n\nIn order to grasp the concept of frame dragging, we must elevate our understanding to level 3. In this view, spacetime is treated as a fluid, with mass and energy influencing its flow and behavior. Imagine a black hole as a massive sinkhole, through which spacetime flows towards it, accelerating as it approaches the event horizon. This analogy emphasizes that spacetime is not merely a passive backdrop but an active participant in the gravitational dance.\n\nWhen an object moves through spacetime, it interacts with its geometry, similar to how motion through water causes resistance. The spinning of a massive object, such as a black hole, alters the spacetime around it, creating a rotational pattern known as frame dragging. Just as stirring honey with a spoon generates a swirl, a spinning mass drags spacetime along with it. This swirling effect persists as long as the spinning object remains in existence, with the swirl weakening over time.\n\nThis level-3 understanding of spacetime as a fluid entity enables us to comprehend the process of extracting energy from black holes. In the subsequent part of this series, we will delve deeper into the minute energy yield resulting from frame dragging and explore the ongoing efforts to measure this phenomenon on Earth.",
  "summary": "Roger Penrose found a way to extract energy from a spinning black hole without breaking any laws of physics. To understand it, we first have to level up our picture of spacetime, from Newton's empty stage to a swirling, draggable fabric.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}