3 ms·

I'm curious, how does electromagnetism determine the motion of a planet?

• jessriedel 8y ago
  All I mean is that if a "moon" were very small, say a few mm or cm, then it can accumulate enough of a charge imbalance for forces from ambient magnetic fields in a stellar system to push it out of it's nominal gravitational orbit. That size limit might seem trivial, but the ratio of an atom to a paper clip is about the same as a paper clip to the Earth's moon, so it cuts off half of the geometric range.
  • kazinator 8y ago
    So it's safe to say that, say, a styrofoam pellet wouldn't make a good moon (not even considering lack of durability against cosmic bombardment).
    • jessriedel 8y ago
      Yep.