Fun! We'd have to be very sure that we're steering the sun correctly, and that the planets will indeed be dragged along. If you do it slow enough then it shouldn't perturb the system too drastically, and it could in theory work. BUT, it will be incredibly slow! Such that it seems (to me) that we will only be able to aim in one direction, and in the end visit only one or a few other stars. How you will be able to get all of humanity to agree on a direction, and without contingencies, I cannot imagine. To me it remains more likely that we will do these intergenerational arks he was talking about near the beginning.
As an aside, Dr Kempf is in Applied Mathematics in the Math faculty.
How would the moon stop rotating around us just because our position changed? Earth already moves constantly, static systems aren't really a thing in cosmology lol
Woah now, don't be saying something so certain in physics it might end up surprising you ;)
There's a cool thing called a Lagrange point which for all intensive purposes is point of "no gravity" (i.e the gravitational effects from all directions cancel out). That's about as static a point as things get and they are pretty cool.
Interesting. Food for thought.
ReplyDeletewow. amazing
ReplyDeleteFun! We'd have to be very sure that we're steering the sun correctly, and that the planets will indeed be dragged along. If you do it slow enough then it shouldn't perturb the system too drastically, and it could in theory work. BUT, it will be incredibly slow! Such that it seems (to me) that we will only be able to aim in one direction, and in the end visit only one or a few other stars. How you will be able to get all of humanity to agree on a direction, and without contingencies, I cannot imagine. To me it remains more likely that we will do these intergenerational arks he was talking about near the beginning.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, Dr Kempf is in Applied Mathematics in the Math faculty.
Pretty sure we all die if the moon stops rotating around us...so you'd have to move the entire system. I call unrealistic.
ReplyDeleteHow would the moon stop rotating around us just because our position changed? Earth already moves constantly, static systems aren't really a thing in cosmology lol
Delete@4.a
DeleteWoah now, don't be saying something so certain in physics it might end up surprising you ;)
There's a cool thing called a Lagrange point which for all intensive purposes is point of "no gravity" (i.e the gravitational effects from all directions cancel out). That's about as static a point as things get and they are pretty cool.
4.a I see what you did there
ReplyDeleteI don't see what he did there.
Delete