Thursday, October 7, 2021

Python 3.11.0a1 is available

Now that we are on a release spree, here you have the first alpha release of Python 3.11: Python 3.11.0a1. Let the testing and validation games begin!


Major new features of the 3.11 series, compared to 3.10

Among the new major new features and changes so far:

  • PEP 657 – Include Fine-Grained Error Locations in Tracebacks
  • PEP 654 – PEP 654 – Exception Groups and except*
  • (Hey, fellow core developer, if a feature you find important is missing from this list, let Pablo know.)

The next pre-release of Python 3.11 will be 3.11.0a2, currently scheduled for 2021-11-02.

More resources

And now for something completely different

Schwarzschild black holes are also unique because they have a space-like singularity at their core, which means that the singularity doesn't happen at a specific point in *space* but happens at a specific point in *time* (the future). This means once you are inside the event horizon you cannot point with your finger towards the direction the singularity is located because the singularity happens in your future: no matter where you move, you will "fall" into it.

For a Schwarzschild black hole (a black hole with no rotation or electromagnetic charge), given a free fall particle starting at the event horizon, the maximum propper time (which happens when it falls without angular velocity) it will experience to fall into the singularity is `π*M` (in natural units), where M is the mass of the black hole. For Sagittarius A* (the black hole at the centre of the milky way) this time is approximately 1 minute.

We hope you enjoy the new releases!

Thanks to all of the many volunteers who help make Python Development and these releases possible! Please consider supporting our efforts by volunteering yourself or through organization contributions to the Python Software Foundation.