- #1
kd001
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I remember reading an article on exoplanets which suggested that when a star loses its mass, the orbital radii of the planets orbiting it increase. Apparently this makes it easier to identify such planets as they are now further away from their star.
What I would like to know is, what mechanism causes this increase in orbital radius? Newton's law (r=GM/v^2) suggests that if the mass of the star decreases, then the radius should also decrease unless the velocity also decreases but why would the velocity decrease?
What I would like to know is, what mechanism causes this increase in orbital radius? Newton's law (r=GM/v^2) suggests that if the mass of the star decreases, then the radius should also decrease unless the velocity also decreases but why would the velocity decrease?