Earth's Movement and Atmosphere with a Black Hole Sun

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the hypothetical scenario of replacing the Sun with a black hole of the same mass, focusing on the implications for Earth's movement and atmosphere. It explores gravitational effects, thermal energy, and the nature of black holes in relation to mass.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that from a gravitational standpoint, Earth's movement would remain unchanged since gravity depends solely on mass.
  • Others suggest that without the Sun's thermal energy, Earth would freeze, indicating a significant change in atmospheric conditions.
  • There is a question about whether Earth would continue its regular orbit or be drawn into the black hole, reflecting uncertainty about the dynamics involved.
  • One participant clarifies that black holes do not exert more gravitational pull than other objects of equivalent mass, emphasizing the unique proximity effects of black holes.
  • A later reply notes that a typical black hole formed from a supernova is less massive than the original star, which raises questions about the mass of the Sun in this context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that gravitational effects would not change with the mass replacement, but there is disagreement regarding the implications for Earth's atmosphere and whether Earth would maintain its orbit or be drawn into the black hole.

Contextual Notes

The discussion does not resolve the implications of thermal energy loss or the specifics of black hole formation and mass in relation to the Sun.

havaliza
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please help me to answer to this problem:

Problem: Imagine that we replace sun with a black-hole of same mass.
1. How would be movement of earth?
2. Does the atmosphere of Earth change? If yes, explain.​

thnx
 
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What are the relevant equations here?
 
From a standpoint of the gravitational effects, nothing on Earth would change. From the standpoint of the sun's thermal energy, the Earth would quickly freeze.
 
You mean that Earth will continue it's regular movement around the earth?
I was thinking that Earth would straightly go into the black-hole, wouldn't it?
Could you explain a little bit more, please.
 
havaliza said:
You mean that Earth will continue it's regular movement around the earth?
I was thinking that Earth would straightly go into the black-hole, wouldn't it?
Could you explain a little bit more, please.

Gravity depends on one thing and one thing only: the mass.

Since you've replaced the sun with an equivalent mass - regardless of what that mass is - the gravitational force will not change.

Black holes do not have any more gravitational pull than any other object of an equivalent mass. What's unique about black holes is that you can get much closer to them, which is where gravity gets very strong.
 
DaveC426913 said:
Gravity depends on one thing and one thing only: the mass.

Since you've replaced the sun with an equivalent mass - regardless of what that mass is - the gravitational force will not change.

Black holes do not have any more gravitational pull than any other object of an equivalent mass. What's unique about black holes is that you can get much closer to them, which is where gravity gets very strong.

Wow! Thank you!
I got it.
 
Also, a 'normal' black hole created during a supernova event is much less massive than the original star. A huge part of the star is blown off as part of the explosion. Our sun is not massive enough for that to occur, though.
 

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