Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 18/06/2021 11:08:35

Title: What if 1036 Ganymed becomes bigger and becomes Earth's 2nd moon?
Post by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 18/06/2021 11:08:35
What things would or might happen?
Title: Re: What if 1036 Ganymed becomes bigger and becomes Earth's 2nd moon?
Post by: Bored chemist on 18/06/2021 11:28:14
What things would or might happen?
Whatever the writter of that bit of fiction wanted to happen.
Title: Re: What if 1036 Ganymed becomes bigger and becomes Earth's 2nd moon?
Post by: Halc on 18/06/2021 13:05:28
It becoming bigger would have no direct effect on it becoming a moon of Earth. For that to happen, it would already need to be a moon now, that is, it would need to have negative total mechanical energy relative to Earth. But that total energy is positive, so it isn't a moon.
So I guess it all depends on how this new mass is added. If done in such a way that reduces its total energy relative to Earth, then it might be bent into an orbital path.  A tiny bit of mass would do if applied at the right time with the correct momentum, and it somehow didn't blow the rock to bits.
Title: Re: What if 1036 Ganymed becomes bigger and becomes Earth's 2nd moon?
Post by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 18/06/2021 23:26:40
It becoming bigger would have no direct effect on it becoming a moon of Earth. For that to happen, it would already need to be a moon now, that is, it would need to have negative total mechanical energy relative to Earth. But that total energy is positive, so it isn't a moon.
My bad, I thought that small piece of space rock was orbiting us. Plus, even if it was in orbit and it was getting bigger, obviously, it would take at least a thousand years for it to become big enough to be a threat in that way I guess.
Title: Re: What if 1036 Ganymed becomes bigger and becomes Earth's 2nd moon?
Post by: evan_au on 20/06/2021 00:01:39
1036 Ganymed is a near-Earth asteroid (not to be confused with Jupiter's moon Ganymede, which stays far from Earth...)
- It's present orbit crosses the orbit of Mars, but does not approach the Sun as closely as the Earth does.
- But that could change next time it gets close to Mars (an infrequent event), which would disturb the orbit of 1036 Ganymed

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1036_Ganymed
Title: Re: What if 1036 Ganymed becomes bigger and becomes Earth's 2nd moon?
Post by: Bored chemist on 20/06/2021 12:36:43
...it was getting bigger,...
How?
Title: Re: What if 1036 Ganymed becomes bigger and becomes Earth's 2nd moon?
Post by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 22/06/2021 00:23:57
Quote from: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 18/06/2021 23:26:40
...it was getting bigger,...
How?
By cannibalizing dust and rocks that get too close to it?