2 ms·
If the earth were a point mass than almost any trajectory at all would be orbital.
by foodevl 2y ago
If the earth were a point mass than almost any trajectory at all would be orbital.
- slow_typist 2y agoCan’t hit a point mass on any trajectory.
- echoangle 2y agoWhy not? If your starting point is completely static compared to the point mass and your aspect area isn’t zero, you’re going to fall directly down towards the point mass and are going to hit it.
- ben_w 2y agoIf it was a point mass, and you had exactly zero horizontal motion relative to it, you'd go right through and out the other side. Well, except for relativity turning it into a black hole with a Schwarzschild radius of 8.87 mm so it won't be "point-like". But most of the disintegrate sheen of plasma that used to be your body would have had some horizontal motion compared to it, even if only due to you starting off as an extended body.
- echoangle 2y agoIf the point mass is inside my body for some time, I would describe that as „hitting the point mass“
- ben_w 2y agoIf you like. But would you say you hit neutrinos that pass through you without interaction? If pointlike was possible, it can be similar: nothing beyond the spaghetification that happens well before you reach the event horizon.