Questions tagged [solar-system]
Questions regarding the Sun and objects orbiting it.
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What were the likely initial conditions at the time of the solar system's formation?
I know we will never know for sure how many planets there were and what their respective masses and orbital elements were when the solar system formed, but I'm very interested in what the approximate ...
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If all objects move, where do we go?
Yes I know that the sun and planets in the solar system travel fast with an average speed of 448,000 mph.
Are we going to the center of the galaxy? If so, does that mean our galaxy is getting smaller ...
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Are the major-axis of Mars and Earth orbits on the same plane?
Which means that I can draw an imaginary plane that contains the major-axis of both Earth and Mars.
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Do all the orbits of planets in the Solar system fit in a (imaginary) cone?
So that all the elliptic orbits can be seen as slices from the cone while the sun is a shared focus.
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Precision of orbital period of exoplanets vs solar system planets (Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia)
I noticed that the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia lists the orbital period of L 98-59 b in days to 7 decimal places. Can astronomers really measure orbital period of exoplanets to greater precision ...
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...but where did Mars' atmosphere actually GO?
In this answer to How is space a vacuum when there are planets, gases, etc? I mention that most of Mars' original atmosphere was swept away by the solar wind after the planet lost its magnetic field ...
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Is there a formula for a planet's orbit in a 3D space?
I'm trying to model the orbits of Earth and Mars and their positions at a given point in time. But I can only find 2D equations of elliptic orbits, which only contain the x and y variables. I have to ...
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How do scientists know that Earth used to spin much more rapidly?
News has just been released all over my news feeds about how paleontologists now believe that early photosynthetic organisms became much more efficient at producing oxygen after the Earth started to ...
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On what basis is the information about the distance and velocity of the Voyager probes determined?
Voyager 1 was the first-ever object to reach interstellar space on
August 25, 2012 when it passed beyond the sun’s realm of plasma
influence (the heliosphere)[...]
(source)
Although some of their ...
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92 views
What is the distance between solar system and a distant galaxy
When we say a galaxy is 300 million light-years away, is that its distance now or 300 million years ago?
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What is the probability of life having developed or going to develop in our solar system another time?
I'm sorry I am not quite sure this question satisfies this point:
Questions that are purely hypothetical, for example a question such as 'Could a black hole destroy the universe' or 'What if our ...
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Is the barycenter of the solar system usually outside of the sun?
I came across this picture on wikipedia:
Note: From a quick search I gathered that although there are slight differences between the limb of the sun and the accepted radius of the sun, these ...
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From Proxima b, could any planets around Sol be imaged directly by a strong telescope? If so, which ones would be easiest to spot?
How strong would a telescope (and what kind of telescope) on Proxima Centauri b have to magnify to discern any planets around Sol, and which planets would be easiest to spot? One might think the ...
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Are we able to accurately predict planetary orbits over a longer period of time?
I was wondering whether planetary orbits can be predicted with our classical theories, or whether quantum randomness comes into play making the unpredictable in the long run?
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How big can a planet get, with respect to its star for it to sustain life? [closed]
Earth is 108 times smaller than the sun in terms of its diameter while Jupiter is 10 times.
Assuming Jupiter was located such that it could sustain life, theoretically how big a planet can get with ...
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Couldn't the orbits of ETNOs have been altered by a flying-by rogue planet as well?
Regarding the Extreme trans-Neptunian objects or ETNOs, whose orbits some believe are elongated by a far away planet, could their orbits have been elongated by a rogue planet as well? Is it possible ...
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Can the pebbles growth model be applied to the rotations of planetary systems? [duplicate]
I've just read the University of Amsterdam 2019 News item Pebbles determine the direction in which planets rotate (which links to R.G.Visser et al (2020) Spinning up planetary bodies by pebble ...
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Moons with synchronous rotation in our solar system
Are all moons in our solar system rotating synchronously around their planet? If not, what are the criteria that some do and some don't?
Many thanks for any insights!
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If I was in a coma and woke up at night in the desert, what knowledge would I know instantly and after 30 days?
If I was in a coma and woke up at night in the desert, what knowledge would I know instantly and after 30 days of observation?
Can I figure out the general directions, i.e. where North, South, East, ...
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Degrees of freedom in restricted circular coplanar three body problem
How many degrees of freedom does a mechanical system consisting of three bodies, the Sun, Jupiter and an asteroid, have in the restricted circular coplanar problem of the three bodies?
I know that if ...
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1answer
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Details about the next big comet 2014 UN271?
The announcent of the massive trans-Neptunian object 2014 UN271 to be a comet is rather new (June 22nd, 2021) and really exciting. That comet is rather huge (~100km diameter) and "falling toward ...
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Undiscovered dwarf planets
Scientists think there may be dozens of undiscovered dwarf planets in the Solar system. What I find intriguing is that, we have been able to detect distant galaxies and clusters, locate supermassive ...
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How do astronomers calculate the period about the wave motion of the solar system in the Milky Way?
According to research, excluding the motion of the entire galaxy, astronomers found the motion of the solar system in the Milky Way.
The solar system revolve around the galactic bulge of the Milky ...
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Does Soter take into account Pluto's and Orcus' masses when determining Neptune's planetary discriminant µ?
Does Steven Soter's planetary discriminant µ1 for Neptune take into account the masses of Pluto, Orcus and other Kuiper belt objects crossing or coming very close to Neptune's orbit? If so, Neptune ...
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1answer
103 views
Why is the globe/compass symbol used more often than the globus cruciger for Earth? [closed]
Why is that symbol 🜨 used more often (or almost always) when portraying e.g. Earth mass or Earth radii than the globus cruciger ♁ ? From my point of view the globus cruciger fits much better as ...
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If the hypothesized planet behind the Kuiper belt existed, would it have a barycenter outside the Sun?
In 2016, an additional object rotating our Sun has been suggested. Assuming it has 5 Earth masses, would the planet or black hole proposed by Brown and Batigyn have a barycenter within the Sun or ...
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Conversion of Moon's Celestial Position (RA and dec) to Horizontal Coordinates [closed]
I'm currently attempting to calculate the equatorial sky position of the Moon for any given Geostatic position (longitude / latitude) for any given datetime.
I have tested my altitude and azimuth ...
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Longest and Shortest day of the year in all planets
Can we trace the longest and shortest day of the year in other planets of Solar system similar to earth planet i.e. Mars, Saturn, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Neptune, Uranus?
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139 views
Is this how stars’ right ascensions correlate to planets’ longitudes on a 2d map?
This is my first ever online question, so please bear with me:
I’m working on an A1-sized map of at least 100 of the largest solar system bodies (henceforth just called ‘planets’, ignorning the IAU ...
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2answers
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Could Enceladus be too salty to support life?
The process of osmosis makes it possible for water to be sucked through a semi-permeable membrane in order to balance the concentrations of two solutions. Thus, a sufficiently salty ocean might drain ...
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1answer
42 views
Orbital parameters of the Sun [duplicate]
What are the orbital parameters of the Sun such as orbit velocity etc in it's orbit around the Solar System's center of mass? Consider the Sun pointlike or alternatively when talkin about the Sun's ...
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How can Voyager have left the solar system while at the same time there are solar system objects much farther? [duplicate]
I'm aware of Where does the Solar System end? but this question is different because I'd like to focus on the specific announcement by NASA about the Voyager spacecraft "leaving the solar system&...
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Tidally locked Venus, is it possible and consequences?
Suppose, Venus becomes tidally locked. Will its dark side cool enough so that the CO2 from the atmosphere to precipitate in liquid form to make an ocean?
Also, I wonder, how close Venus is to becoming ...
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Is our Solar System moving independently through our galaxy?
I would like know if our Solar System is moving independently through our galaxy or is stuck on the Orion Arm which is revolving around our galaxy? Is our solar system an onboard passenger of the ...
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What's the minimal argument I can give to reject The Geocentric Universe?
I'm new to Astrophysics, So pardon me if you find it silly to ask. I was just started reading about the basics of astrophysics. I read about the Greek Tradition, the concept of a geocentric universe. ...
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What is the Milne-Eddington Approximation?
In this paper: Planet temperatures with surface cooling parameterized it states in the "radiation model" the following:
The Eddington–Milne approximation relates $T_0$ and $T_e$ through the
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Are interstellar meteorites more common on the moon's polar regions?
Given that the rocks of the solar system mostly travel on the disc, is there any considerable probability that impacts on the moon coming straight up and down can be interstellar rocks?
If axis-...
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Observing the motion of the solar system and galaxy through space?
This is very perplexing.
Conditions:
planets are moving around the sun (solar system)
solar system is moving as part of the galaxy
the galaxy is moving through space on some axis
galaxy is part of a ...
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Why do the asteroids orbit the Sun in roughly the same plane as the planets?
The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter is an extremely active environment (on an astronomical time scale) where collisions between 10km radius bodies occur every $10^7$ years, according to ...
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How can I find the width of an orbit knowing some values?
I need to find the width/x-radius of an orbit, which is ellipse shaped, knowing variables like the orbit's length(perihelion + aphelion in this case) and the eccentricity. I am not sure if this is ...
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Why won't the Sun set for days at N66.2 which is below the arctic circle?
Correct me if I am wrong, but if we count sunsets by the center of the Sun apparently crossing the horizon then the Sun is supposed to set every day at latitudes under the arctic circle. (Yes if you ...
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How to calculate center (not focus) of planetary orbit?
I'm developing a website showing the movement of Solar System planets according to the passage of time. I'm using this reference to calculate all the necessary orbital parameters.
These are two images ...
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What pulls the Sun above the galactic plane and pulls it below the galactic plane?
Since the sun climbs above the galactic plane and it even dives below the galactic plane we can't deny that it wouldn't climb upward unless there is something above the galactic plane that pulls it ...
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Could our Sun be the product of an ancient stellar collision?
The canonical model for the formation of the Solar System involves the gravitational collapse of a nebula into (perhaps) several stars across several light years. Is it possible that two or more of ...
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278 views
If Planet Nine indeed exists, how large a impact event there should be to be seen from Earth?
Recently I've found this news article, A meteorite crashed into the Moon during total lunar eclipse in January, about a collision into the moon that happened while a lunar eclipse was under way. ...
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How to measure mass of planets' core from orbit
I am told in an astrophysics lecture the following.
The mass of Saturn's core was measured by Cassini when it completed its final flyby between the rings and the planet itself. It was also found that ...
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What is the thickness of the Solar System disk?
What is the thickness in AU of the all planets' orbital plane height combined in the Solar System?
Excluding Pluto.
Looking for h
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How much matter was ejected when the Solar System formed?
Assuming the accretion disk model for the formation of the Solar System, the most important problem, according to wikipedia, is "how the material, which is accreted by the protostar, loses its ...
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River-like artifact in perseverance rover's photo of Mars
Good to know that perseverance rover has touched the surface of Mars finally. We will have nice new opportunity window for exploring our closest "friendly" planet of solar system.
Here's one ...
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How is it possible for a collision to be responsible for Uranus's axial tilt?
I realize that the collision explanation is in any case highly (purely?) speculative, but I'm curious how it would work. If Uranus is a ball of gas, why wouldn't any colliding object just pass ...
