I just read a report that a multi-million dollar probe in space spotted an object twice the size of jupiter orbiting a star within the distance of mercery to our own sun and doing so in 1.2 days time. Would that not make for a very large near light speed super object?
2007-05-04 19:55:29 · 2 answers · asked by Vman 2040 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
I am interested at what point an object would vaporize when entering or near a star. There was a "planet" found orbiting a star well within the distance of what mercery is around are sun, and at more than 2 times the size of jupiter. I would think that gravity and heat would prevent that possibility.
2007-05-05 22:31:56 · update #1
The surface temperature of the star, which is specific for it.
2007-05-04 20:49:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mercury has an orbital diamter of 1.16x10^9 m
therefore its circumference is 3644247480 m ,
1.2 days is 1.2*24*60*60 sec or 103680 sec
so speed is 3644247480/103680 or 35148.9919 m/s
the speed of light = 299 792 458 m / s
therefore the planet is moving at 35148.9919 /299 792 458
or 0.000117244417 or 0.01172% of the speed light
or just over 1 ten-thousandth the speed of light.
No it is not "near light speed"
http://www.nineplanets.org/mercury.html
2007-05-05 04:16:08 · answer #2 · answered by Mike1942f 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋