Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the concept of precession in celestial bodies, specifically focusing on black holes and the potential for gaseous or liquid planets to exhibit similar behavior. Participants explore the mechanisms behind precession, including the role of angular momentum and external forces, while drawing comparisons between different astronomical objects.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- One participant questions whether the distortion of a jet from quasar 3c175 can be interpreted as evidence of black hole precession.
- Another participant explains that precession occurs when an external force applies angular momentum to a spinning object misaligned with its spin axis, noting that accretion disks can exert torque on black holes, potentially leading to precession.
- A participant references Earth's axial precession, suggesting that non-spherical asymmetry is necessary for precession and questions if black holes share this characteristic.
- In response, it is stated that a spinning black hole is not spherically symmetric, while a non-rotating black hole is, and cautions against assuming that precession is related to forces in the context of general relativity.
- A participant raises the question of whether gaseous or liquid planets could also precess, given their lack of a cohesive structure.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
The discussion contains multiple competing views regarding the mechanisms of precession, particularly in relation to black holes and the characteristics of different types of celestial bodies. There is no consensus on whether gaseous or liquid planets would precess in the same manner as solid bodies.
Contextual Notes
Participants express uncertainty about the relationship between precession and the structural characteristics of celestial bodies, as well as the implications of general relativity on the concept of forces.
