I'm assuming that photons are affected by gravitational force- when light is being sucked into a black hole, for instance, can some of it achieve a lasting orbit?
2006-07-12 06:46:52 · 9 answers · asked by -artifex 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
Light follows a straight line. Light "bends" around an object with enough mass because mass "warps" space around it. (Kind of like holding a rubber sheet tight at all sides, and setting a steel ball in the middle. The sheet will warp around the ball)
With enough gravety (Black holes, for example) space can be twisted around so that the light will follow a path that from outside looks like an orbit, but if you were standing on the photon, would look perfectly straight.
Going from a physics definition an orbit is the path that an object makes around another object while under the influence of a source of centripetal force, such as gravity.
So, with enough gravety to curve space in on itself, yes. Light can orbit an object.
2006-07-12 06:57:57 · answer #1 · answered by cmriley1 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, light can orbit orbit black holes. Nothing truly has a lasting orbit, not even planets. There is something called co-gravitational radiation which causes the decay of all orbits. The faster some thing's angular velocity the faster it falls inward. So light can achieve orbit but only for brief moments (keep in mind that brief moments in the scale of the universe can be several millions years or longer).
2006-07-12 06:58:54 · answer #2 · answered by Nick N 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is proved by experiment that black Hole bends the light. Therefore in theory the photons can orbit the black hole. But in practice no such thing exists in our space ( 15 billion light years). If that exists we will be seeing a glow around the black hole. To keep a photon in orbit the gravity has to be extreamly high and this number can be calculated.
2006-07-12 07:12:50 · answer #3 · answered by Dr M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
At the correct orbital height above a black hole, absolutely. It would have to be an orbit at which light drops towards the black hole at a rate that is equal to the trajectory around the hole. Similar to the way the moon drops around the Earth at the same rate as the Earth surface drops away from it.
2006-07-12 07:07:29 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wasn't it Einsteins theory, that if you where to leave here on a ray of light, that eventually you would return to the same exact place from where you started? I do not believe the universe to be flat, hence" light dose orbit
( or not ) One must ponder the math!!!
2006-07-12 08:32:47 · answer #5 · answered by Givingitthought 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
photons are particles which have no mass hence no question of gravitational force which is proportional to the product of masses of the bodies even if you consider on as earth it has some mass and the other is a photon whose mass is zero so the product is zero.
2006-07-12 07:20:40 · answer #6 · answered by abelgladstone 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
transferring on the speed of sunshine purely the article turns into infinite in mass which have some mass, even as talking about PHOTON first you need to keep in mind that, does PHOTON have mass? No! PHOTON would not have mass, so how can a massless merchandise be infinite? I hop this may help you...
2016-12-10 08:31:32 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
light can be bent, but i don't believe it can orbit any object because light does not have any mass
2006-07-12 06:51:53 · answer #8 · answered by ANBU 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I THINK YES.
2006-07-12 07:36:26 · answer #9 · answered by The Apostle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋