3 ms·
To make a long one without breaking it into multiple objects is very unlikely. This thing isn't composed of silly putty -- rocks and metals tend to be brittle a
by garmaine 9y ago
To make a long one without breaking it into multiple objects is very unlikely. This thing isn't composed of silly putty -- rocks and metals tend to be brittle and break rather than "stretch out".
- sitkack 9y agoNot if they are melted, or softened. It might have taken millions of close orbits around a hot body for that shape to form.
- sitkack 9y agoWhich also might be why it was ejected and made it to our solar system. The energy in its orbit might have been really high on a close approach to a star and a slight deviation flung it out of that system. A highly eccentric orbit would have a close approach around a star, and then have it rapidly cool as it traveled away from the star. Repeat millions of times. Would make for a nice orbital, thermal and materials science simulation.
- Simon_says 9y agoTrue, but on astronomical scales, unlikely events happen all the time.