Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: chris on 30/04/2009 12:16:02

Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: chris on 30/04/2009 12:16:02
If the Sun were to instantaneously disappear presumably we would still see its light for the 8 minutes it takes that light to reach us. But what about the gravitational effects of the Sun? Would the curvature of space-time induced by the Sun's mass instantly vanish and therefore the Earth would cease to feel a gravitational attraction? Or would be not feel that change in gravitation initially?

Chris
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: Chemistry4me on 30/04/2009 12:24:02
Previous threads: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=18297.0

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=2623.0

Also this: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3232
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: ScientificBoysClub on 30/04/2009 16:41:30
Quote from: chris on 30/04/2009 12:16:02
If the Sun were to instantaneously disappear presumably we would still see its light for the 8 minutes it takes that light to reach us. But what about the gravitational effects of the Sun? Would the curvature of space-time induced by the Sun's mass instantly vanish and therefore the Earth would cease to feel a gravitational attraction? Or would be not feel that change in gravitation initially?

Chris

Very good Question !!
Watch this what would happen .....


this vdo shows light from distant star ..

Well velocity of light and velocity of Gravitational Waves are same (constant )
so, after  Sun ceases to exist ...... the G waves would reach us (at same time as light ) I mean the distortion of space gets modified to no distortion state .. and after that planets revolving around the sun would loose there orbit .. and gets lost in space !!
 
This effect will be after 8 minutes 24 seconds !!!
 
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lyner on 02/05/2009 22:23:56
We've been here before but how did you envisage taking the Sun away?
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lightarrow on 03/05/2009 21:22:10
Quote from: ScientificBoysClub on 30/04/2009 16:41:30
Very good Question !!
Watch this what would happen .....


this vdo shows light from distant star ..

Well velocity of light and velocity of Gravitational Waves are same (constant )
so, after  Sun ceases to exist ...... the G waves would reach us (at same time as light ) I mean the distortion of space gets modified to no distortion state .. and after that planets revolving around the sun would loose there orbit .. and gets lost in space !!
 
This effect will be after 8 minutes 24 seconds !!!
 
I would tend to agree with you, but the video seems instead to suggest that the planets escapes its orbit immediately after the Sun's disappearance.
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lyner on 03/05/2009 23:19:51
Bearing in mind that the Sun would not "disappear", just like that, the question is meaningless unless the method and timescale are both considered. There are many better theoretical scenarios to consider which investigate the relative propagation of electromagnetic and gravitational effects.
I am not being grumpy - just realistic. It just isn't as simple as that.
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lightarrow on 04/05/2009 14:08:42
Quote from: sophiecentaur on 03/05/2009 23:19:51
Bearing in mind that the Sun would not "disappear", just like that, the question is meaningless unless the method and timescale are both considered. There are many better theoretical scenarios to consider which investigate the relative propagation of electromagnetic and gravitational effects.
I am not being grumpy - just realistic. It just isn't as simple as that.
What about a very small naked singularity in place of the Sun, which escapes in another dimension?  [:)]
(I know, it's not exactly more realistic... [;)])
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lyner on 05/05/2009 00:35:05
go on then. I'm convinced. [:D]
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lightarrow on 05/05/2009 14:18:55
Quote from: sophiecentaur on 05/05/2009 00:35:05
go on then. I'm convinced. [:D]
Ok: a collision of the massive particle with another negative-mass particle... [;)]
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lyner on 05/05/2009 22:44:19
Wouldn't that involve quite a lot of energy transfer - to disturb the 'simple' experiment?
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: Bored chemist on 06/05/2009 20:42:03
roughly 8 minutes after the sun disapeared people would be far too worried about the lack of light to care what the earth's orbit was doing.
Title: If the sun instantaneously disappeared, what would happen to Earth's orbit?
Post by: lightarrow on 06/05/2009 21:33:15
Quote from: sophiecentaur on 05/05/2009 22:44:19
Wouldn't that involve quite a lot of energy transfer - to disturb the 'simple' experiment?
positive mass + negative mass = positive energy + negative energy = zero energy.