Space-Time Gordian Knot
In the last year, powerful computer simulations have brought the area around a black hole into focus. Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne and his colleagues have modeled the complex equations of general relatively around a black hole and uncovered a host of previously unknown ways that they can bend and warp space-time.
For instance, a spinning black hole produces ripples in the fabric of space-time known as vortexes, depicted as an intricate tangle of lines emerging from the black hole. The consequences are highly chaotic, creating the whirlwind-like behavior seen in the above visualization.
Vortex lines have an odd effect on space-time. If you oriented your body along a vortex line, your head would start to turn relative to your feet, wringing you like a towel. Blue lines in the above video correspond to a clockwise twist while red lines denote counterclockwise movement.