Questions tagged [solar-system]
For questions regarding a star and the area comprising its gravitational dominance. While they are not part of its technical definition, it colloquially refers to the planets, moons, asteroids and other bodies orbiting the star.
260
questions
5
votes
2answers
228 views
Viability of ballistically propelled “traveling salesman” space stations
I'm interested in the viability of the following scheme for (relatively) fast space commerce within the Solar System:
have a fleet of space stations essentially built around a long linear accelerator....
5
votes
2answers
268 views
Do stars in a binary star system fall along the ecliptic?
I am wondering about Tatooine, and was reading about binary systems here, which provided a lot of good basic food for thought. My specific question is not addressed at that link, and so I pose it here....
4
votes
6answers
615 views
Device close to sun to focus energy to satellite in Earth Orbit for energy generation
The light from the sun is dissipated in a sphere, so there is a squared relationship between the distance from the sun. Would it be possible to place either a lens or solar collectors with a laser to ...
30
votes
18answers
6k views
Why might a valued mineral be only found on one planet?
According to an answer to a previous question, it would be comparatively impractical to conduct mining on a rocky planet when there are moons, asteroids, comets, etc. that have smaller mass, so much ...
4
votes
4answers
407 views
Is my solar system even remotely plausible?
I've sketched out a solar system for my science-fantasy setting. In the interest of hand-waving only when necessary, I'm reality checking my idea to see what needs to be tweaked or changed outright, ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
Surface temperature when outside solar system
Suppose Earth has drifted away from solar system for some reason. It has been 320 years since drifting started. For almost 250 years, it is farther away from Neptune.
- How cold would the surface ...
5
votes
4answers
796 views
Where would the Sun and Moon be within a flat Earth world?
Where would the Sun and Moon be on a flat Earth? Imagine a world similar to the flat domed depiction of the Earth with a Biblical Firmament all around it.
If you don't know what that is, let me ...
5
votes
2answers
252 views
How to calculate the light received by a planet during a binary star eclipse?
I'm building up a spreadsheet on worldbuilding (Stars, Planets, Moons etc.) and i'm struggling to find an equation, or a group of equations to help me figure out the light received by a planet ...
2
votes
1answer
315 views
Calculating the orbits of binary stars around their barycentre
I've been building a world, partly for test reasons (making sure my spreadsheet works, and so i know what i need to add to it) and partly for fun, but for calender reasons i need to know the orbital ...
5
votes
2answers
121 views
Orbital configuration for a stellar beacon
Some research papers, such as Arnold 2005, has investigated the possibility of using artificial megastructures transit signatures as long-range, long-lived and low-maintenance signals of unambiguously ...
1
vote
2answers
257 views
Propulsion for destinations within the solar system that only takes hours (or less), not days, or months? [closed]
I'm looking for a pseudoscience, hand waving answer. I don't need fast travel to other stars, I just need something that can zip around within solar systems (even ones larger than our own). This would ...
2
votes
2answers
382 views
How long is a solar-solar eclipse in a Binary Star System?
Preamble: I have read this thread on single gravity well binary system eclipses. And this one on binary system views. And this one on a gas giant's moon's solar eclipse. And (now) this one on seasons ...
1
vote
2answers
142 views
Can our orbit support a second planetary mass
If for a 'magic' Reason a second planetary mass of roughly equal proportions to earth appeared in the same orbit as earth. Is there any way that both masses could continue to orbit and remain in the ...
-2
votes
2answers
348 views
How much available matter in the solar system?
Assuming all the energy in our solar system (solar energy, heat, etc) was converted into matter, and then using all the matter in the solar system, how big of a city sphere could be built?
What I ...
12
votes
1answer
321 views
How big a population can the solar system support considering only power and living space?
The average power utilization per person is 1 Megawatt.
The average living space is 1000 cubic meters per person.
The average total mass in use by a person is 1000 tons.
Assumptions
Solar power ...
43
votes
7answers
10k views
What's the largest body in the solar system that you could destroy without endangering humanity?
You're an alien that really likes pyrotechnics. Nothing that goes boom on your home planet (in a safe and responsible manner) satisfies you any more. Why not blow up a planet and see what that's ...
20
votes
7answers
3k views
Initial conditions for a fluorine hellscape
I'm curious what it would take to get a planet with so much free fluorine that you can have an atmosphere of predominantly or purely fluorine. I realize how improbable a planet like this is, so I'm ...
-2
votes
3answers
504 views
Shooting trillions of potatoes into the sun [closed]
Inspired by this Kongregate game:
The TL;DR of the plot of the game is this: All life on Earth is dead, so shoot potatoes into the sun to make it a black hole, then orbit really close to the edge of ...
4
votes
3answers
206 views
Is there any phenomenon that could result in a huge solar storm?
As per the title, is there anything with near future tech, unlimited budget and fast cheap spaceflight that could be done to induce a huge solar storm or flare three or more magnitudes greater than ...
6
votes
2answers
255 views
You emerge from a wormhole into a brand new star system, how long does it take to accurately map all orbital bodies?
Imagine we could open a wormhole or a jump point to a new star system. How soon would it be possible to have an accurate map of the major bodies in that system? In sci-fi, this sort of information ...
5
votes
1answer
201 views
Formation of a planet with a mercury core
Building on this question about the magnetosphere for a planet with a substantial mercury core, what is the proto-planetary environment required to form a planet with a mercury core? Specifically, I'...
4
votes
3answers
361 views
Ringworlds and habitability on other planets
This is the second part of a question here that I've broken up because they are two very distinct problems. Assuming a perfectly stable ringworld:
Assume a more traditional flat ringworld that is not ...
11
votes
2answers
572 views
Stable ringworld interactivity with other solar system objects
I thought of two questions regarding ringworld structures in solar systems with results I can't assume, so I will try to describe each (assume stability):
If a (toroidal) ringworld were massive ...
5
votes
1answer
213 views
Is the planet Sentia realistic?
In a world I am building, there is a planet named Sentia. Sentia orbits around a G1 star called Prometheus and has two moons, Valkyrie and Cerberus, whose masses add up to around the mass of our moon. ...
5
votes
1answer
168 views
Effect of Hot/Warm Jupiter atmosphere loss on Habitable Zone
Let's suppose a solar system:
A main-sequence star similar to the Sun. G2V or so.
A Hot/Warm Jupiter HJ with a semi-major axis somewhere from 0.5 AU to 0.0001 AU.
An Earth-like planet EL with a semi-...
2
votes
2answers
270 views
Designing a solar system to resemble the TRAPPIST-1 system
What orbital parameters could I give seven Mars/Earth sized planets so they have stable orbits around a G-type star like The Sun, they need to fit between 0.5 AU and 1.7 AU.
23
votes
13answers
6k views
What could cause the Earth to be so endangered that mankind needs to relocate to another system?
I am looking at realistic options that could damage the Earth so severely that it would be impossible for mankind to survive there and that would also not allow us to just colonize other planets or ...
10
votes
4answers
3k views
What star system beyond Sol would be the first one most likely to be explored?
For my story, I'm trying to figure out where to send a probe that might have a chance at finding an alien civilization similar to ours. What is the closest star system to ours that might have a chance ...
10
votes
3answers
466 views
How to fit three habitable worlds in our solar system?
Assume there are three earth-like worlds in our solar system. These three worlds would also have a single natural satellite roughly at the same mass-distance ratio of Earth to the Moon (about 1.2 ...
10
votes
4answers
921 views
Would the inner planets of our Solar System line up?
The protagonist in my SF story is on an asteroid gazing towards the Sun and inner planets. For purposes of the narrative he needs to locate the position of the earth at different times in its orbit.
...
0
votes
2answers
787 views
ELEVEN Inner Planets?! What Will the Ice Ages Be Like?
A Milankovitch cycle is defined in Universe Today as
a cyclical movement related to the Earthās orbit around the Sun.
There are three elements to a Milankovitch cycle that affects the amount of ...
6
votes
5answers
624 views
Where do you put a photosynthetic Dyson sphere?
One of the answers to What could make a star green? describes a living Dyson sphere made of photosynthetic, plant-like material.
What type of star or star system is ideal for a plant-like Dyson ...
3
votes
2answers
357 views
If We Push Super-Saturn to the Distance of Neptune
A large, visible set of rings is the most conspicuous element that sets Saturn apart from the other planets. The whole system is 175,000 miles (280,000 km) wide but only two-thirds of a mile thick.
...
24
votes
6answers
4k views
How would interplanetary stock-exchanges work?
Today, a major company gets itself listed on stock exchanges so that people can buy a portion of the company while it can raise money. While the distances and time lags involved aren't much of a ...
22
votes
11answers
4k views
How would an advanced civilization have constant communication between planets?
In this universe humans have advanced far enough to be able to colonize planets in our system but not enough to do interstellar travel. Earth is united and they have moved beyond countries and borders....
21
votes
5answers
3k views
What are the main problems with beaming light from the Sun to Saturn?
I recently finished reading the Kim Stanley Robinson novel 2312 - set, of course, in the year 2312. Part of the background to the political negotiations and ongoing terraforming in the outer Solar ...
2
votes
3answers
328 views
If a planet receives only 7.5 hours of daylight in its 30 hours cycle, how will be the conditions on it? [closed]
If a planet receives only 7.5 hours of daylight in its 30 hours cycle, how will be the conditions on it?
The considerations are that the planet receives as much sunlight as Earth, and is in the ...
0
votes
3answers
119 views
Is planetary chemistry relative to distance from the sun? [closed]
Regarding the likely chemical composition of earth-like planets - would the distance of a planet from its star change the relative abundance or poverty of certain elements? Or would other factors, ...
5
votes
1answer
141 views
Ramming into the sun
Imagine a gigantic cube 5 times the size of the sun and 5 times as massive ramming its way Into the sun, would the sun just explode or fade out as its smashed by the ram?
*please assume the ram ...
10
votes
4answers
1k views
What could make a star violet?
Part of a series I'm starting since the recent What could make a star green? did quite well and others could use the information here in their worlds.
There aren't any "violet" stars.
When a star ...
96
votes
9answers
17k views
What could make a star green?
Stars are never green.
When a star's spectra "peaks" in the green range, it also releases a significant number of waves of the adjacent colors - so "green" stars appear yellow or white.
I want a ...
3
votes
2answers
108 views
Reasonable way to determine orbital parameters in an unknows stellar system
After traveling a long long time, your spaceship is finally entering into the gravitational sphere of influence of a Sun-like star. Your captain would now like to move from the Oort-like cloud ...
asked Dec 5 '16 at 10:54
7
votes
1answer
353 views
How to fire your engines for a near-future trip around the solar system?
Background
I was pondering my answer to this question. I asked myself, "Why would I only do a 45-minute burn and then float for 3 months to get to Mars?". Then I answered, "Because you ...
1
vote
2answers
81 views
Could a solar system wide government run efficiently for a century? [closed]
I'm currently working on a Space storyline, and it got me thinking. If a dominant civilization based on bio technology took over a system, similar to the Lylat System, could it run an efficient ...
4
votes
3answers
583 views
Where and how can we mine diamonds outside of Earth but within our Solar System?
Edited to give a reason why synthetic diamonds wouldn't work instead.
In the distant future, all the diamonds are gone.
While synthetic diamonds are an excellent sollution for technology - as @...
3
votes
5answers
217 views
What does the solar system sound like?
I was watching a science show with facts about the sun and one of the facts stated that if we could hear the sun from earth, it would sound like a train horn constantly blaring at us. I have also ...
-1
votes
2answers
259 views
Technology to inhabit ā200 degrees planets?
Humans require a 20 degrees environment. that's 250 degrees warmer than Pluto.
So, if humans lived there, their structures would melt the surface and sink.
ā200 cracks all common metals. most ...
2
votes
3answers
526 views
The view in a binary star system
I am writing a book where there is a binary system with a red and blue star. There is planet with the same properties as earth orbiting in a habitable zone around the 2 stars.
The question
How ...
3
votes
5answers
455 views
Fleeing the solar system
It's the height of humanity's space-colonization golden age when casual interplanetary travel has become possible and humans have either colonized or established large space stations around nearly ...
13
votes
7answers
608 views
How to protect the Earth from the stellar evolution of the Sun?
Every day the Sun is closer to be a Red giant, making the live of the initial home of the humanity practically uninhabitable. Humans are not there anymore. It's a protected territory, but the Sun ...
