Gravity at the Core of the Sun: How Strong is it?

In summary, the closer you get to the core of a celestial body, the smaller the imaginary sphere is that contributes to the force of gravity and thus the force of gravity decreases. This is due to the Shell Theorem and the spherical symmetry of the mass. However, the increased density of the core can also affect the force of gravity, leading to a stronger gravitational acceleration than at the surface. This is evident in both the Sun and Earth.
  • #1
Kingpin1880
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I'm not 100% sure if this question has been asked/answered or not but I was curious about this subject and I fear I'm not knowledgeable enough to figure out this question for myself. I know that the gravity at the surface of the sun is roughly 28g, but as gravity gets more intense the closer to the centre of mass of the celestial body in question; how strong would gravity be closer to / within the core?
I'll be happy with a rough estimate if it's a bigger question than I think it is; I fell out of love with the study of science after high school, but I still think it a fascinating subject.

(here's hoping I didn't sound pretentious... also; not sure what "prefix" to use so sorry if this question's in the wrong place)
 
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  • #2
Kingpin1880 said:
I'm not 100% sure if this question has been asked/answered or not but I was curious about this subject and I fear I'm not knowledgeable enough to figure out this question for myself. I know that the gravity at the surface of the sun is roughly 28g, but as gravity gets more intense the closer to the centre of mass of the celestial body in question; how strong would gravity be closer to / within the core?
I'll be happy with a rough estimate if it's a bigger question than I think it is; I fell out of love with the study of science after high school, but I still think it a fascinating subject.

(here's hoping I didn't sound pretentious... also; not sure what "prefix" to use so sorry if this question's in the wrong place)

Edit - This post needs to be prefaced with the fact that it does not take the Sun's varying density into account.

There is a famous result (called the Shell Theorem) which says amongst other things, that only the mass inside a sphere contributes to the force of gravity felt at the surface of that sphere.

So as you move closer to the core of the sun, this imaginary sphere is getting smaller, containing less and less mass and thus the force of gravity is decreasing.

Due to the spherical symmetry of the setup, the attractive forces from outside the sphere, when added up cancel each other exactly.

Another result of the shell theorem is that a spherically symmetric mass behaves as if it were a point mass located at it's center of mass. This is convenient when you are outside the volume of the mass, but is obviously not applicable when inside the object.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_theorem
 
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  • #3
BOAS said:
So as you move closer to the core of the sun, this imaginary sphere is getting smaller, containing less and less mass and thus the force of gravity is decreasing.

Did you consider the increased density?
 
  • #4
BOAS said:
Yes - This does not change my reasoning.
It should. The mass decreases, but radius goes down as well.
As an example, within 0.1 of the solar radius, we have 0.077 of the mass (where a constant density would just give 0.001). That leads to a gravitational acceleration of 0.077/0.12 = 7.7 times the surface gravity.
Data source

I attached a graph (x-axis is radius, y-axis is g relative to g at the surface). Over most of the sun's radius, gravitational acceleration is stronger than at the surface.

The same effect, just weaker, is present in Earth as well. As you go down through the outer mantle, gravitational acceleration increases.
 

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  • #5
mfb said:
It should. The mass decreases, but radius goes down as well.
As an example, within 0.1 of the solar radius, we have 0.077 of the mass (where a constant density would just give 0.001). That leads to a gravitational acceleration of 0.077/0.12 = 7.7 times the surface gravity.
Data source

I attached a graph (x-axis is radius, y-axis is g relative to g at the surface). Over most of the sun's radius, gravitational acceleration is stronger than at the surface.

The same effect, just weaker, is present in Earth as well. As you go down through the outer mantle, gravitational acceleration increases.

Yes, I realized my error. Sorry for deleting that post - I was hoping I was fast enough.
 

Related to Gravity at the Core of the Sun: How Strong is it?

1. How does gravity change near the Sun's core?

The force of gravity near the Sun's core is extremely strong due to the massive amount of mass contained within it. As you get closer to the core, the pull of gravity becomes stronger, resulting in a higher acceleration towards the center of the Sun.

2. Is gravity stronger or weaker near the Sun's core?

Gravity is stronger near the Sun's core compared to the surface of the Sun. This is because the core is much denser and contains a larger concentration of mass, resulting in a stronger gravitational pull.

3. How does gravity near the Sun's core affect the orbits of planets?

The strong gravitational pull near the Sun's core affects the orbits of planets by keeping them in their stable elliptical orbits. The gravity of the Sun's core is what keeps the planets from flying off into space or falling into the Sun.

4. Can anything escape the gravity near the Sun's core?

Due to the immense strength of the gravity near the Sun's core, it is nearly impossible for anything to escape it. Even light, which travels at the fastest speed possible, cannot escape the pull of the Sun's core.

5. How does the gravity near the Sun's core impact the interior structure of the Sun?

The gravity near the Sun's core plays a crucial role in the internal structure of the Sun. It creates tremendous pressure and heat, allowing for nuclear fusion to occur, which is what produces the Sun's energy and maintains its shape and size.

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