Why Don't Stars Expand with Space?

  • Thread starter menniandscience
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In summary, the expansion of the universe only occurs on large scales and is not noticeable on a smaller scale such as the diameter of a star or even a distance of 90 light years. Gravity is a much stronger force than the expansion of the universe and keeps individual stars and galaxies together.
  • #1
menniandscience
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Hi! my question is, if space expand, how come the stars (and planets) don't? they are part of the space and not "sitting inside" or somthing like that. meaning, the Earth should grown bigger all the time.

you can think about marking a dot on a bloon, as you blow air inside the bloon starts to swell and the dot GETTING BIGGER AS WELL.

a related question, that might be answered by answering the last one, is if a star '90 light years' (random) away from Earth send it's light rays toward us, and the space is spanding, then the conclusion is - by the time that light get to us, the planet will be maybe 150 light years away!

i need clarification
thanks!
 
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  • #2
The expansion of the Universe is said to only occur on very very large scales - over galactic distances. As such, you would never be able to sense or measure it on such a small scale as the diameter of a star, or even 90 light years.

Also, just because the distance between two points in space is increasing, I don't think that means that locally an object has to be expanding with the space around it.
 
  • #3
You can think of the expansion of the universe as a very weak force, individual stars and galaxies are held together by gravity. It's only between very distant galaxies where the gravitational force is very weak that the expansion of the universe is significant.
 

1. Why don't stars expand with space?

Stars do not expand with space because of the force of gravity. The gravity of the star pulls inward, causing it to collapse and maintain its size.

2. What is the relationship between a star's size and the amount of space it occupies?

The size of a star is directly related to the amount of space it occupies. The larger the star, the more space it takes up. However, the size of the star does not change with the expansion of the universe.

3. Can stars expand due to the expansion of the universe?

No, stars cannot expand due to the expansion of the universe. The expansion of the universe only affects the space between objects, not the objects themselves.

4. Are there any exceptions to stars not expanding with space?

There are some exceptions, such as supermassive stars, which may expand slightly due to the pressure from nuclear fusion reactions. However, this expansion is minimal and does not change the overall size of the star.

5. How do we know that stars do not expand with space?

Scientists have observed and measured the sizes of stars over time and have not seen any significant changes in their sizes. Additionally, the laws of physics, specifically the force of gravity, support the idea that stars do not expand with space.

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