Solar Gravity: Is There Good Data?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the hypothesis that solar activity may influence the distribution of mass on the Sun, potentially affecting the gravity experienced on Earth. Participants explore the implications of solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections, on gravitational effects and orbital dynamics, while questioning the availability of relevant data.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes that changes in solar activity could shift the center of mass of the Sun, affecting gravitational fluctuations at Earth.
  • Another participant asserts that the center of gravity of the solar system is well within the Sun, suggesting that seasonal distance changes of Earth have a greater influence.
  • A counterpoint is raised that the center of mass of the solar system, particularly influenced by Jupiter and other gas giants, can sometimes lie outside the Sun's surface.
  • Concerns are expressed regarding the impact of solar weather events, such as coronal mass ejections, which are argued to be too small to have observable effects on orbits.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of variance in solar gravity rather than just magnitude, suggesting that high-frequency oscillations could transfer energy to the planets.
  • A request is made for data on experiments measuring short-duration variances in the Sun's gravity, specifically over intervals of approximately 24.5 days.
  • Another participant insists on the significance of magnitude and spherical harmonics, noting that variations dissipate with distance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the relevance and impact of solar activity on gravitational effects and orbital dynamics. There is no consensus on the significance of these effects or the availability of data to support the claims made.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding the effects of solar phenomena on gravity, including the small scale of events like coronal mass ejections and the complexities of gravitational interactions within the solar system.

jkg0
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Think about this hypothesis:

Solar activity changes the distribution of mass on the sun. This change could move the center of mass of the sun, unless the distribution were symmetric. This would move the center of mass away from the center of rotation. This would cause a fluctuation in the gravity felt at the Earth as the sun rotates.

Is there any good data on solar gravity?
 
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The center of gravity of the solar system lays well inside the surface of the sun. The seasonal change in distance of the Earth from the sun has a greater influence.
 
Chronos said:
The center of gravity of the solar system lays well inside the surface of the sun.
That's not true, Chronos. The center of mass of Jupiter and the Sun is outside the surface of the Sun. The other three gas giants sometimes pulls the center of mass even further from the Sun, sometimes very close to the center of the Sun.

Besides, I don't think that that is what jkg0 was asking about. I think he's asking whether solar weather such as coronal mass ejections have an observable effect on orbits. The answer is no. These are incredibly small compared to the mass of the Sun. A large coronal mass ejection might involve 200 billion kilograms. That sounds big, but it's only 1/1019 of the mass of the Sun. To make matters worse, these are short-lived phenomena. They certainly must perturb things, but there's no way to see those perturbations. They're too small.
 
Variance is Key

I'm not that interested in the magnitude. I'm more interested in the variance. Low frequency changes in amplitude would slowly shift the orbits but high frequency oscillations in the center of gravity could transfer energy out to the planets.

Does anyone know of an experiment where variance in the sun's gravity has been measured in short durations? If the center of the sun rotates at 14.7° per day then I would be looking for data on intervals of approximately 24.5 days.
 
You have to care about the magnitude. You should also care about spherical harmonics. These tiny, tiny variations will become even tinier at distance because they dissipate as a 1/r3 force, or even faster.

You also need to care about the rules of this site. This forum is not a place for personal theories.

Thread closed.
 

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