The discussion revolves around estimating the time it would take for Earth to reach the Sun's chromosphere, assuming a scenario where Earth stops in its orbit and falls directly towards the Sun. The focus includes calculations of speed and distance, as well as implications of acceleration during the fall.
Participants generally agree on the time estimate of 63-66 days for the fall, but there are variations in the details of speed and acceleration, indicating some level of uncertainty and exploration of the topic.
The discussion does not resolve the complexities of gravitational influences from other planets or the exact mechanics of acceleration during the fall, which remain unaddressed.
Janus said:If you mean if the Earth was to suddenly stop in its orbit, then then between ~63-66 days, depending upon what point in it orbit it was when it started the fall.
blarznik said:Wow that's fast! So with 66 days of motion, using the AU as the distance, Earth's moving at about 1.4 million miles per day.
Janus said:That's the average over the entire fall. It would actually move much less during the first day and be moving a lot faster on the last day. At impact, it would be moving at 618 km/sec ( the equivalent of 33 million miles per day)
This shouldn't be too surprising, as the Earth, at its present orbital velocity, travels 1.6 million miles per day.
blarznik said:I guess the acceleration time would be drastic. Also, looking at Earth's orbit, I never realized the present velocity was that fast, but that makes a lot of sense for how far it travels in a year.