Questions tagged [astrophysics]
For questions regarding the application of the laws of physics to orbital mechanics, stellar evolution, and other astronomical processes and celestial bodies.
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Do the physics in this hypothetical space world work? What about space travel? [closed]
Basically, I have a solar system containing roughly twenty planets (though I can do closer to 10/15, if necessary). They revolve around a giant star at the center of the world. Does this work? What if ...
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Would mining asteroids cause meteorites
I wanted to know if the mining of Asteroids would cause a problem with meteorites for nearby planets. Like if a company came in and started blowing up moons, asteroids or dwarf planets would the ...
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Lagrange Points regarding a moon 1.5 times the mass of Earth's Moon and one 0.75 times the mass of Earth's Moon
Working on a lunar orbit system. As place holder numbers, two moons are orbiting a planet equal to earth's mass. One moon, Selenara, is 1.5 times the mass of Earth's moon, and the other, Thoth, is .75 ...
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How could you have a Super Saturn (J1407b) like planet with rings in a system with life?
I would like my world's solar system to have a super saturn (J1407b) like planet with ring system for astrological reasons. How could I have this during a "contemporary age" (Cenozoic ...
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How do I find the correct planetary spacing for my red dwarf system?
I have a system with a K6.7V star at 0.585 M☉.
The planetary system has 7 orbits --
A tiny, rocky planet at 0.043 AU with a mass of 0.0465 M⊕.
A tidally locked, habitable, water world planet at 0.34 ...
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How long would a crater/mare on the Moon be glowing red and visible from earth?
As part of the backstory of my setting, a wormhole base on the Moon catastrophically failed around 500 years ago. The energy released was enough to melt a huge portion (edit: approximately size of ...
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How do Hill spheres work for binary planets?
A small moon is able to maintain a stable orbit around a planet at just under half the radius of the planet's Hill sphere. Most of Jupiter's moons are in this configuration, possibly made more stable ...
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Where can I find data on typical size and temperature of a star given mass and age? [duplicate]
I am building a solar system and need to investigate my options. I need data to answer questions like "if a star was X solar masses and Y million years old, how large and hot would it be?" ...
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Post-war apocalyptic desertification scenario lasting at least 1000 years
I am writing a story, in which humanity is struggling to survive and rebuild civilisation hundreds of years after a devastating war with AIs.
I'd like the world to be covered in deserts, where humans ...
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Binary Star System Physics
I am envisioning a planet that has two orbiting stars: a small yellow-white F class and a larger orange K class star. The stars were once closer and created a more tumultous tectonic history but since ...
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What would a beacon of light activated on Earth's surface look like from space?
Would it be physically possible to have a beacon on the Earth's surface so powerful its beam would continue outwards past the Earth, further into space, and out into the cosmos? What would that beam ...
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I have a world with two moons, and I was wondering how often they would both be full at the same time
As I said in the title, I have a world with two moons. One has an orbital period of 17 days Earth days (Moon 1) while the other has an orbital period of 57 Earth days (Moon 2) and the planet they are ...
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I need to know day/night cyles of a moonplanet
My moon planet is the moon to a gas giant in the habital zone of its red giant star, orbiting the same distance the earth orbits the sun. It is not tidally locked, being in opposite rotation of its ...
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What is the largest fraction of Earth's sky that an astronomical object could take up (visually) before ripping Earth or itself apart?
I know the Roche limit limits how close another planet could get to Earth. Closer than that limit, and either it breaks apart or Earth breaks apart.
I don't care what size it is, if it's a super-...
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The rotation of the sun's core doubles in speed every 10 years. How many years before the situation turns apocalyptical?
I'm asking this because I'm writing a fictional story where I need a doomsday scenario that means humanity must escape the earth. The timeframe that would fit the plot of the story would be in the ...
