Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Pseudoscience-is-malarkey on 18/06/2021 11:08:35
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What things would or might happen?
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What things would or might happen?
Whatever the writter of that bit of fiction wanted to happen.
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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.
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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.
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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
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...it was getting bigger,...
How?
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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?