Solar System Diameter: Calculating Distances & Multi-Star Systems

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
2 replies · 3K views
exxon_valdez
Messages
2
Reaction score
1
TL;DR
Method to calculate a solar system diameter.
What is the method of calculating the diameter of a solar system knowing each of its planets distance to the star? Is it a matter of doubling the distance of the furthest planet?
What about when a solar system has more than one star?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org
exxon_valdez said:
What is the method of calculating the diameter of a solar system knowing each of its planets distance to the star?
The boundaries of solar system are not exactly defined. See wiki:
The point at which the Solar System ends and interstellar space begins is not precisely defined because its outer boundaries are shaped by two forces, the solar wind and the Sun's gravity. The limit of the solar wind's influence is roughly four times Pluto's distance from the Sun; this heliopause, the outer boundary of the heliosphere, is considered the beginning of the interstellar medium.[63] The Sun's Hill sphere, the effective range of its gravitational dominance, is thought to extend up to a thousand times farther and encompasses the hypothetical Oort cloud.
Much of the Solar System is still unknown. The Sun's gravitational field is estimated to dominate the gravitational forces of surrounding stars out to about two light years (125,000 AU). Lower estimates for the radius of the Oort cloud, by contrast, do not place it farther than 50,000 AU.
...
Currently, the furthest known objects, such as Comet West, have aphelia around 70,000 AU from the Sun, but as the Oort cloud becomes better known, this may change.

exxon_valdez said:
Is it a matter of doubling the distance of the furthest planet?
Surely not, see previous quotes.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: berkeman