What is the most dangerous thing you can imagine? An average person might say an apex predator
or a violent killer. Meanwhile, a researcher working for the SCP
Foundation might cite one of the XK end of the world scenarios like the release of the
Devourer of Worlds as the most dangerous thing they can imagine. But if you were to pose that question to an
astrophysicist, ask what they think is the most dangerous thing they can imagine, then
you’re likely to get only one answer: a black hole. That area of space that pulls in anything
and everything around it with its immense gravity. Whether it’s planets or asteroids or even
light itself, nothing can escape the pull of a black hole. Around every black hole is an area known as
the event horizon, and once you go past this boundary there’s no going back. If you were aboard a spacecraft that ended
up going past the event horizon of a black hole, you’re essentially as doomed as anyone
can possibly be. According to certain laws of quantum mechanics,
black holes do have their own temperature, and will often emit what is known as Hawking
radiation, named after the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. Given that black holes absorb everything,
they will also pull this radiation back into their own mass, shrinking as they gradually
collapse in on themselves. As for what’s inside a black hole? Hard to say. Anything can be pulled into one, but nothing
can exist within it. Or at least, that’s what the world’s leading
scientists will tell you. Other theories have been floating around out
there on where black holes might lead. Perhaps they might be doorways into other
universes and dimensions beyond our understanding. Or maybe black holes are gaps in the fabric
of the space-time continuum, and falling through one might send you hurtling years into the
future, or even the past. And then, there’s SCP-123, something the
Foundation keeps well-guarded. SCP-123 consists of a grey geodesic sphere,
meaning it is a shape comprised of various connected triangles - kind of like the Epcot
Center. Built from an unknown material, the hollow
sphere housing SCP-123 consists of sixty triangles, with empty spaces between that allows someone
to view the center. Within it is what looks like a much smaller
sphere, only around a single millimeter in diameter. This inner sphere is completely black all
over, emitting zero light, and tests by Foundation researchers have revealed that this dark sphere
will also not reflect light either. That’s because SCP-123 is, as you may have
guessed, a contained miniature black hole. Much like the larger black holes found throughout
the solar system, the core of SCP-123 has a strong gravitational force, capable of gently
pulling any objects that are within three meters of the outer geodesic sphere towards
it. Any object resting against the surface of
the outer sphere seems to become double its normal weight as it gets caught up in the
powerful forces within. However, while the pull of the black hole
is at least weakened somewhat by this outer layer, inside the casing the strength of the
black hole is dramatically increased. You would be smart to leave your keys, wallet,
and phone in another room if you were approaching SCP-123, as any small object that can fit
through the triangular gaps in the outer shell will be pulled into the black hole in the
center. When brought close enough, solid objects will
rapidly accelerate as they are snatched up by the force of the anomalous sphere, only
for the object to vanish entirely from view as it is lost to the void within. According to tests conducted by Foundation
research teams, the same occurs if liquid is ever poured through one of the outer sphere’s
gaps, and it will be sucked away into the black hole like water down a drain. Further observations made by the Foundation’s
researchers confirm that all light near SCP-123 curves towards the black sphere in the center. Interestingly, black holes cannot normally
be seen or observed directly with the naked eye, due to them being able to pull in light. So instead, astronomers and astrophysicists
will monitor changes in the area surrounding a suspected black hole for any notable changes. The miniature black hole of SCP-123 shares
these light bending properties, but also appears to be at least partially observable while
contained within the outer geodesic shell. While the Foundation is still unsure as to
what the outer sphere is made of, it seems to act as some sort of cage, keeping the black
hole stable and secure. Otherwise, the cage itself, along with the
entire planet outside it, would presumably be sucked into the center. In fact, research staff have even been able
to roughly calculate the mass of the interior black sphere, and have determined that the
cage surrounding it somehow reduces the gravitational effects of the black hole. SCP Foundation experts state that the black
hole within SCP-123 currently has a mass of approximately 10 to the 29th power kilograms
within the outer shell, but the cage’s dampening effects may mean that the inner sphere’s
actual mass could be even higher. Under ordinary circumstances, a black hole
with a 10 the 29th power kilograms of mass would have a Schwartzchild radius of about
two hundred meters. Any professional astrophysicists in our audience
will already be well aware that a Schwartzchild radius is the size of the black hole’s event
horizon. If you remember earlier, we mentioned that
an event horizon in the area that surrounds a black hole, and going past this boundary
means that you now have a one way ticket into the black hole whether you like it or not. The fact that SCP-123 doesn’t have such
a large event horizon, and that only objects placed within the outer sphere are pulled
in, shows that the only thing stopping that black hole absorbing everything around it,
including all of us, is the cage it’s currently held in. Nothing can escape the pull of a black hole,
no solid matter, no liquids, not even light. However, in the case of SCP-123, it seems
that there is at least one state of matter that this black hole is unable to absorb:
gases. Even though gaseous matter is affected by
the gravitational force of SCP-123, for some unknown reason gas cannot breach the gaps
in the outer shell surrounding the black hole. The SCP Foundation is still studying why only
solids and liquids may pass through the cage while gas cannot, but it’s almost certainly
for the best. After all, if SCP-123 could absorb gas and
pull other elements into its mass, there would be little to stop it from sucking up all the
oxygen surrounding it. Somehow, either by an intentional design or
by the natural properties of the material it’s crafted from, the cage around the inner
sphere seems to protect the outside world from the miniature black hole. It prevents the entire planet’s air as well
as the rest of the planet itself from being pulled in and crushed, while also keeping
the black hole at a far more manageable size. The two components of SCP-123 seem to behave
in a symbiotic manner, acting together as one. When someone moves the outer cage, the black
hole will follow and stay in a fixed position, hovering inside the center of the geodesic
casing. Just what exactly makes both of SCP-123’s
parts behave in such a way has left even the Foundation’s top researchers baffled. While a miniaturized black hole could potentially
cause devastating damage, for now at least, SCP-123 doesn’t pose much of a threat as
long as it remains contained by the SCP Foundation. Within the confines of the geodesic cage,
the black hole itself is nearly harmless, only pulling in small objects. As a result, the Foundation has been able
to securely keep SCP-123 in one of their facilities. The contained miniature black hole is fastened
to a sturdy table with the use of straps and chains. However, personnel are forbidden from affixing
any hooks to the gaps in the outer casing, otherwise these run the risk of being dragged
into the black hole’s gravitational pull, potentially along with whatever the hooks
were attached to. The Foundation’s researchers monitor the
black hole 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Devices for measuring the gravitational force
of SCP-123 are placed within the same room the black hole is kept, but at a safe distance
of one hundred meters away. Staff are also instructed to never place objects
within the outer shell of SCP-123, and are prohibited from inserting any objects through
the gaps in the geodesic sphere unless an experiment is taking place. At all times, SCP-123 is to be treated with
the utmost care, as if it was a fragile object. And for all the Foundation knows of the unidentified
outer sphere, it could well be. If the cage containing the black hole was
ever breached, anything within two hundred meters would be pulled into the center of
SCP-123. As all forms of nearby matter were absorbed,
the black hole would begin to increase in size, pulling anything and everything into
itself as it continued to grow. Before long, the entirety of Planet Earth
would be collapsing in on itself, all pulled towards one single point until the planet
fractured. Perhaps the SCP-123 black hole would release
and then reabsorb enough Hawking radiation to seal itself, but by that point, the world
as we know it would be gone. A true XK-Class End of the World Scenario,
with pretty much nothing the Foundation can do to stop it once it’s already started. Even SCP-2000 would be worthless once it was
sucked inside the miniature black hole. So, when we say that SCP-123 needs to be handled
with extreme care, we truly mean it. The fate of the world depends on it, meaning
no member of the Foundation should ever shake the sphere around or exert any kind of force
on it. During any transfers, SCP-123 is not to be
transported over large bodies of water, in case it begins to pull the liquid into its
center. Researchers working near and studying the
miniature black hole even have to adhere to a strict dress code to avoid their clothes
getting absorbed into the spatial anomaly. Any member of Foundation staff interacting
with SCP-123 is instructed that they must wear tight-fitting clothing, so no straps
or laces, no chains or other dangling jewellery, and long hair has to be tied back. Sounds a lot like a school uniform dress code,
right? It might not be all that fashionable, but
it’s a small price to pay to avoid getting painfully pulled through the small triangular
gaps in the outer shell, into the black hole within. The only question left is, what do you do
with a tiny, perpetually-stable black hole? When left alone, SCP-123 doesn’t really
seem to have much of a purpose. But, it’s certainly good at getting rid
of things, so well that you’d never, ever see them again. The contained miniature black hole’s gravitational
force has led to some higher ranking individuals in the SCP Foundation discussing SCP-123’s
potentially usefulness as a disposal unit. After all, nothing you’d throw into it would
ever come back. However, the head researcher studying this
phenomena is concerned about the structural integrity of the geodesic cage that the black
hole is kept in. Anyone looking to dispose of something using
SCP-123 must first get this doctor’s approval to do so, or request a formal hearing with
a Foundation higher-up. Otherwise, any interactions with the miniature
black hole are restricted, with experiments still ongoing to determine how strong that
outer cage is, and just how long it’s going to hold for. Because if it ever breaks, trust us, you’ll
know... Now go check out “SCP-3001 - Red Reality”
and “SCP-2317 - The Devourer of Worlds / A Door to Another World” for more truly cosmic
SCPs!
