I understand that if we compacted the sun into a black hole (impossibly), the mass would be the same and therefore the orbits would be maintained. It stands to reason that a gravitational well would not increase in force just because a change in shape had occurred, assuming the shape change did not add or remove mass from the object creating the well.Popadoo said:It has been cut out, but in my original statement I said that if our sun was to form a black hole (which obviously it can't, I was being hypothetical...) then we would orbit the same.TiloXofXTanto said:Actually, I believe what bullet_sandwich meant was that if we were to replace the sun with a real naturally formed black hole (the gravitational force of which would be much, much higher than the sun's due to the increased mass gained from being formed from a larger star) then the increased force would overtake the current orbits and suck in the closest of the planets, and possibly some of the farther ones eventually.Popadoo said:Nope, our sun would become a White Dwarf.bullet_sandw1ch said:partially incorrect (i think, sorry if im being an ass hat). a black hole is like a gravity well, i think that earth to mercury would be pulled in. also, the sun is too small to be a black hole, it would just become very cold, and die (a neutron star).
And if for whatever reason our sun did somehow become a Black Hole (which it can't...), we wouldn't be sucked in, not even Mercury would get sucked in, they'd orbit the same since the Black Hole has the same mass as the star it is formed from, sometimes even less mass since it is usually only the core that forms the Black Hole.
Everything that has mass has a gravity well. YOU have a gravity well, it's just so tiny it doesn't effect pretty much anything. The Black Hole has the same gravity well as the star it formed from.
...and really, even if that isn't what they meant, they did apologize preemptively for their inaccuracy.
This, I understand, however I did not say that the sun created the black hole (which is, as you have pointed out many times before, impossible), I suggested that a real and possible black hole replace the sun.
So, in essence, I suggested that we take the sun, replace it with Betelgeuse, and then turn that giant into a black hole.
In that situation, would the planets closest not be pulled in, considering the increased force created by a black hole that is actually physically possible and not the tiny impossible thing the sun would never create?