Understanding the Impact of Photon Emissions on the Sun's Gravity

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SUMMARY

Photon emissions do not increase the gravity of the Sun through compression. While the momentum of outgoing light exerts an inward pressure, this effect is negligible. The gravitational force of a spherical body, such as the Sun, is solely dependent on its mass and the distance from its center. Therefore, compressing the Sun or expanding it does not alter its gravitational pull on Earth, as long as its mass remains constant.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of gravitational physics
  • Knowledge of photon momentum and its effects
  • Familiarity with the properties of spherical bodies in astrophysics
  • Basic concepts of mass and density relationships
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of gravitational force in spherical bodies
  • Study the effects of photon momentum on celestial bodies
  • Explore the relationship between mass, density, and gravity
  • Investigate the characteristics of black holes and their gravitational effects
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, physicists, and students of astrophysics seeking to understand the relationship between photon emissions and gravitational forces in celestial bodies.

Charlie Daubitz
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Do photon emissions increase the gravity of the Sun by compressing it
 
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Charlie Daubitz said:
Do photon emissions increase the gravity of the Sun by compressing it

No.
In principle the momentum of the outgoing light would imply some force exerting some inward pressure on the sun, but in practice the resulting compression would be negligible. However, even if that were a significant effect, it wouldn't increase the sun's gravity because the gravitational force created by a spherical body depends only on the mass of the body and the distance from its center. The only reason that we think of a compressed dense planet as having stronger gravity than a less dense less compressed planet is that we're closer to the center when we stand on the surface of the denser one... But you could compress the sun down to the size of a black hole, or blow it up until it reached the orbit of Mercury, and as long its mass stayed the same its gravitational pull on the Earth would be unchanged.
 

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