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Something I didn’t think about: there is debate over how empty the space between stars is or whether there are a lot of rogue planets, comets, asteroids, maybe
by api 2y ago
Something I didn’t think about: there is debate over how empty the space between stars is or whether there are a lot of rogue planets, comets, asteroids, maybe even exotic objects like asteroid or planet mass primordial black holes (these are a dark matter candidate). If the space between stars is not as empty as we imagine it opens other possibilities like flybys and refueling.
- giantrobot 2y agoInterstellar space can be filled with junk yet still be effectively empty because it's so mind bogglingly large. Comets and rogue planets also aren't helpful unless 1) you can see/chart them ahead of time and 2) they're on the way to your destination. The first problem is a big challenge as they're cold, dark, and small. Just finding them to begin with is a giant problem. Accurately charting them is another order of magnitude increase in difficulty. Even tiny error bars in the measure of their proper motion means your spaceship can miss them by millions of miles. Even missing them by a dozen miles is the difference between life and death. Even with a huge catalog of extremely accurate interstellar fuel-capable objects they don't do you any good if they're not on the way to where you want to go. A meandering route to a destination in order to visit refueling stops adds tons of extra complexity and points of failure.