Questions tagged [gravity]
Questions regarding the attractive force which exists between any two bodies of matter.
3
votes
3answers
402 views
Why things float in space, though there is always gravity of our star is present
In the solar system, things float around. We are so certain that the gravity of our sun exists. Still, why does that gravity not influence satellites and other objects there.
Our solar system is also ...
21
votes
4answers
10k views
Why can't we feel the Earth's revolution?
I googled it and checked a few Q&A and there's only things about "Earth's rotation". But why can't we feel the revolution?
They say we can't feel the rotation because the Earth spins at a ...
0
votes
1answer
40 views
If a solar system were surrounded by a cloud of debris, is it possible for a planet's orbit to intersect it?
I'm doing research for a story that I'm writing and I'd like some physics advice on whether a hypothetical system of celestial bodies is possible.
Suppose the following:
A system of planets orbiting ...
19
votes
3answers
6k views
Can a magnetic field of an object be stronger than its gravity?
Can a planet, star or otherwise have a magnetic field that is stronger or have more range than its gravity?
48
votes
3answers
16k views
If a massive object like Jupiter flew past the Earth how close would it need to come to pull people off of the surface?
I understand this is a silly hypothetical but I'm asking for a 7 year old so please bear with me.
Imagine an interstellar stray gas giant comes flying through our solar system.
If we were not ...
3
votes
3answers
151 views
Can a black hole “supernova”?
In layman terms:
nothing ever escapes the pull of a black hole, not even light
when a large star reaches the end of it's life you get a supernova
sometimes the "remains" of these stars can turn turn ...
-1
votes
2answers
64 views
Planets may repel each other in few cases
We know that when two huge black holes collide they produces gravitational waves in space time curvature. So if I am not wrong another object in space if goes in that direction during production of ...
29
votes
2answers
5k views
Are black holes spherical during merger?
I've been thinking about black holes, specifically during the final moments before two merge. I'm wondering if black holes, or I guess more specifically their event horizons, are always spherical. ...
2
votes
0answers
42 views
A quantitive estimate of the size above which celestial bodies must be near-spherical [duplicate]
Asteroids and smaller celestial objects tend to be odd-shaped, whereas planets are always spherical (or slightly oblate due to their spin). The reason obviously is that for sufficiently large masses/...
2
votes
3answers
155 views
Do photons slow down as they approach the event horizon of a black hole?
So, if a black hole is so dense, that light cannot escape, what happens to the photons as the approach and go past the event horizon (or some other horizon, about which I am ignorant)? Do photons ...
0
votes
0answers
42 views
Does time dilation at the event horizon prevent us from seeing any changes?
If gravity is so strong at event horizon as we assume, and thus time dilation makes time infinitely slow for us, the distant observers, how could we ever observe any events ocurring over time? Wouldn'...
12
votes
2answers
3k views
As matter approaches a black hole, does it speed up?
If so, how do we know it speeds up? Doesn't time slow down as gravity increases? If time slows down around a black hole, is it possible matter doesn't actually speed up?
3
votes
1answer
104 views
Is the gravity on Kepler 39b higher than on the Sun?
According to the formula for gravitational acceleration $a = GM/r^2$ where $G=6.674 \times 10^{-11}$, Jupiter with mass 1.89813 × 10^27 kg and radius 69,911,000 m gives a gravity around 25m/s^2. The ...
1
vote
3answers
241 views
If a photon were 1 Planck length away from the event horizon of a blackhole, would it be able to escape the blackhole's gravitational pull?
I understand that one could theoretically replace the sun with a blackhole without affecting the orbits of the planets. This leads me to believe that a blackhole isn't a "cosmic vacuum cleaner" so ...
-1
votes
1answer
39 views
Mass of Photon and Black holes [duplicate]
The gravity caused by a black hole is said to be so strong such that even light(photons) can not escape from it. since gravity exist only in between objects with mass, How does a black hole attract a ...
3
votes
1answer
115 views
How to determine the mass of a galaxy?
I am having a slight disagreement with my professor.
We can measure the mass of a distant star cluster from:
A.Its color
B.Its radius
C.Its metallicity
D.Smearing of lines in ...
5
votes
3answers
123 views
Can't pulsars and stars be used for gravitational wave measurement?
Suppose that we collected photons from a distant star, and they arrive regularly at 15 photons every microsecond onto a CCD, when a gravity wave bends space time, wouldn't the regular 15 photons graph ...
16
votes
3answers
4k views
Why do astronauts move so slowly in zero gravity? [closed]
When astronauts are floating about in a spaceship or space station, they nearly always move very slowly. After doing a bit of research I can't see why being in zero gravity would restrict movement to ...
1
vote
1answer
85 views
Looking at the Expanding Universe through the lens of relativity [closed]
The basis and most observable metric for how the universe is understood to be expanding at an accelerating rate is the red shift in observable light. I am assuming it has been thought about or maybe ...
2
votes
1answer
87 views
Why does gravity make time go slower and warp light?
I know that objects with lots of gravity are capable of warping light or slowing time (an example being a black hole). I also know this is because of the theory of relativity, but I need someone to ...
4
votes
2answers
145 views
A neutron star without a flat surface and an atmosphere?
In the Kurzgesagt video Atoms As Big As Mountains — Neutron Stars Explained they state that neutron stars have an atmosphere that reaches about 10 centimeters above the surface.
How is this possible?...
2
votes
1answer
41 views
Mini disk of a blackhole meaning
What is meant by the "mini disk" of a blackhole? Is it the same as accretion disk? If not, whats the difference?
Eg: In the abstract of this paper https://arxiv.org/abs/1806.05697 it is mentioned "...
0
votes
1answer
184 views
Is the moon inside earth’s atmosphere? If so, what are the consequences?
Recently, a paper was published claiming that the Earth’s atmosphere extends far beyond the Moon. This has been reported on by a number of news sources and websites, including the ESA, Business ...
6
votes
1answer
68 views
Can the moon's gravity influence be observed on the space station's orbit?
In browsing through Astronomy Stack Exchange, I came across this question about orbiting the moon (Is it possible to achieve a stable "lunarstationary" orbit around the moon?). In further ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
First observation that the movement of a planet or asteroid in its orbit was affected by another planet?
Answers to the question How did Kepler determine the orbital period of Mars? describing careful observations centuries ago got me thinking.
Question: What was the first analysis of observations that ...
1
vote
1answer
32 views
How to separate binary and optical stellar pairs?
I have list of stellar pairs from The Washington Double Star Catalog (WDS), i.e. I have next parameters:
angular separations
position angles
stellar magnitudes of both components
Additionally I have ...
3
votes
2answers
145 views
Is gravitational lensing a good way to search for negative mass?
Is it possible to verify negative mass with gravitational lensing? The following video proposes an idea that galaxies are surrounded by negative mass: https://youtu.be/MZtS7cBMIc4
Could this be ...
6
votes
3answers
457 views
Why do sun spots appear near the equator of the Sun?
I noticed on many examples sun spots are near the equator of the Sun. Why are there no sun spots closer to the poles of the Sun?
5
votes
3answers
431 views
Can two planets in an empty universe meet/be pulled together?
For this question assume that the entire universe is completely empty. The universe is not expanding or contracting, it is completely motionless since time immemorial and has never moved before.
Only ...
2
votes
1answer
63 views
What would happen to the solar system if Earth's mass was removed?
This question is inspired by the "Stargate SG-1" episode "The Road Not Taken". In that story a device is used to shift the entire Earth to another dimension to defend against an attack.
I'm not ...
4
votes
1answer
86 views
Is an elliptical orbit around a black hole, or an orbit consisting of three bodies (including the black hole) possible?
If this is possible, would it then lead to an object undergoing varying time dilation (predictable variation with elliptical and random variation with three body)?
-1
votes
1answer
106 views
Can light be curved due to heavy gravitational force?
Lets suppose there is a huge planet having large amount of gravitational pull, then will the light passing through the planet get attracted towards it.
2
votes
1answer
153 views
Do falling bodies ever slow down?
I've had some discussions recently about black holes, and the issue of infalling bodies taking forever to reach the event horizon. That's essentially what Einstein said in his 1939 paper on a ...
2
votes
0answers
22 views
Change in axis of the Earth if the Moon would dissappear [closed]
I read that, if the moon would not be there or if it would dissapear or be destroyed it could cause the earth to rotate into a possible axis of 45° degrees. Because it would be missing the ...
3
votes
1answer
99 views
Are other planets' gravity measurable on Earth?
I understand that we can calculate the gravitational force other planets exert on Earth, but can it be measured?
1
vote
3answers
257 views
Why doesn't the vertical light beam get out of a black hole?
I'm asking this question as a follow-up to if light has no mass why is it affected by gravity?
Imagine you’re standing on a gedanken planet, shining a laser beam straight up into space. The light ...
4
votes
4answers
223 views
Why do nebulae turn into accretion disks but planets do not?
What are the factors that prevent planets from also turning into disks, like the stellar dust in a nebula does?
The Earth is not a perfect sphere, but rather it's squished at the poles and it bulges ...
4
votes
1answer
54 views
Largest non-hot gas giants
Excluding 'fluffy' or 'puffy' gas giants that are 'inflated by heat from their stars, what is the maximum radius of a gas giant planet. I keep reading things like "...Jupiter is 'about' as big as ...
8
votes
3answers
1k views
Gravitational acceleration inside a planet
The gravitational acceleration, g, inside the Earth generally decreases with decreasing distance to the center:
However, apparently for Jupiter, the gravitational acceleration only increases with ...
2
votes
0answers
47 views
Can eternal inflation and gravity explain dark energy?
First of all, I have absolutely no background in astronomy and physics. I just watch a lot of "i-hope-scientific" youtube channels talking about physics and astrophysics and I can kind of follow the ...
3
votes
2answers
164 views
How would humans with appropriate equipment navigate the surface of Saturn's moon Titan on foot? [closed]
Taking into account the physical characteristics of Titan (e.g. surface gravity, atmospheric pressure), what would be the most efficient method of motion for an astronaut to navigate the surface of ...
5
votes
1answer
616 views
How does gravity affect pressure under water?
How different would being under water in Europa differ from being under water on Earth? Would it be possible to dive deeper on Europa with a submarine than on Earth and by how much?
16
votes
3answers
3k views
Why don’t we feel the Earth rotating beneath us?
I’m not sure all of the details in the experiment but basically it went as follows. Someone marked their location of take off in a hot air balloon and went straight up in the air. They stayed ...
0
votes
1answer
119 views
Black hole, escape velocity, going up?
I do know nothing can escape a black hole, and I understand popsci explanation of geodesics of space-time around and inside the event horizon.
I however have some trouble with following thought ...
4
votes
2answers
96 views
Could a moon be passed from one planet's orbit to another?
Like if you had two planets that had a close orbital path could the moon be pulled away from the first planet?
2
votes
1answer
80 views
What is the smallest possible planet with same sea level atmospheric pressure as Earth? [closed]
Suppose there is a planet made of pure tungsten (a quite common and heavy element), with perfect spherical shape.
Which should be its radius so that the air pressure and ground/sea level is the same ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
The specifics of two Earth-like worlds orbiting each other? [closed]
I'm currently looking into writing a story or two set on twin worlds, which I came to find out in my research is apparently not a new idea (Double planets?
Rocheworlds? Am I close?). But I want it ...
-1
votes
2answers
78 views
Since gravity is like an indent on a piece of paper (the space/time matrix) to a marble, can the black hole eventually suck in the matrix?
Can a black hole suck in time? People claim that if you were to put a bowling ball on a trampoline and rolled much smaller balls through the deppression, some would stay in "orbit", some would roll ...
1
vote
2answers
76 views
Is there a limit to how fast spacetime can bend/warp around an accelerating object?
If in the future a spaceship can accelerate to nearly the speed of light, will it encounter any kind of resistance/drag from the spacetime in front of it not being able to bend/warp fast enough around ...
1
vote
3answers
171 views
Could the Moon sit on the Earth?
Let say that the Earth's Moon was knocked out of orbit and landed on the Earth with some damage but not world ending. Would Earth's atmosphere envelop to include the Moon? Would the moon sink into the ...
