3 ms·

What if a moon mass or earth mass black hole collided with the sun? Would it suck in matter and eventually consume the sun?

dreamcompiler 7y ago
Probably but it would take a while. Any relative angular momentum between the Sun and the black hole would result in the hole orbiting the Sun since an earth mass is tiny compared to the Sun. It might well orbit beneath the surface of the Sun, sucking up plasma as it orbits. How long would it take to "eat" the Sun? The calculation could be done but it's tricky; the hole grows as the Sun shrinks, and that causes the mass transfer to accelerate. And the Sun is denser in the middle and the hole will spiral inward as it grows to keep the center of mass of the system in the same place, etc etc. It's possible there are one or more black holes orbiting inside the Sun right now. They might be the reason sunspots exist.
- saagarjha 7y ago
  > It's possible there are one or more black holes orbiting inside the Sun right now. They might be the reason sunspots exist. Practicing your impression of Calvin’s dad, I see…
sliken 7y ago
Depends. Is the velocity of the black hole relative to the sun higher or lower than the escape velocity of the sun? If higher than it's going to keep going, if lower, then yes eventually it's going to consume the sun.
- 0-_-0 7y ago
  Wouldn't momentum transfer from the consumed mass slow it down?
  - sliken 7y ago
    Some, but the sun isn't very dense. So sure if you were ever so slightly above escape velocity the consumed matter could slow you down. A black hole the mass of the earth is 9mm. The weight of a cubic cm of sun is around 1.41 grams. The black hole isn't really going to notice. The pass through the sun is around 1.39102e+11 cm * 1.41 grams per cm^3 = 139 million KG. So the earth weighs around 4.2* 10^16 more than what a black hole sized hole in the sun weighs.
    - 0-_-0 7y ago
      I thought its gravitational pull and the pressure around the black hole should cause it to absorb much more mass that that estimate.
est 7y ago
The sun emits earth sized mass all the time, I imagine the blackhole could get sway to different directions.

dreamcompiler 7y ago

Probably but it would take a while. Any relative angular momentum between the Sun and the black hole would result in the hole orbiting the Sun since an earth mass is tiny compared to the Sun. It might well orbit beneath the surface of the Sun, sucking up plasma as it orbits. How long would it take to "eat" the Sun? The calculation could be done but it's tricky; the hole grows as the Sun shrinks, and that causes the mass transfer to accelerate. And the Sun is denser in the middle and the hole will spiral inward as it grows to keep the center of mass of the system in the same place, etc etc. It's possible there are one or more black holes orbiting inside the Sun right now. They might be the reason sunspots exist.

saagarjha 7y ago
> It's possible there are one or more black holes orbiting inside the Sun right now. They might be the reason sunspots exist. Practicing your impression of Calvin’s dad, I see…

sliken 7y ago

Depends. Is the velocity of the black hole relative to the sun higher or lower than the escape velocity of the sun? If higher than it's going to keep going, if lower, then yes eventually it's going to consume the sun.

0-_-0 7y ago
Wouldn't momentum transfer from the consumed mass slow it down?
- sliken 7y ago
  Some, but the sun isn't very dense. So sure if you were ever so slightly above escape velocity the consumed matter could slow you down. A black hole the mass of the earth is 9mm. The weight of a cubic cm of sun is around 1.41 grams. The black hole isn't really going to notice. The pass through the sun is around 1.39102e+11 cm * 1.41 grams per cm^3 = 139 million KG. So the earth weighs around 4.2* 10^16 more than what a black hole sized hole in the sun weighs.
  - 0-_-0 7y ago
    I thought its gravitational pull and the pressure around the black hole should cause it to absorb much more mass that that estimate.

est 7y ago

The sun emits earth sized mass all the time, I imagine the blackhole could get sway to different directions.