What would happen if an object on Earth has an equal or greater gravitational force than the Earth?
So say that there is this ridiculously dense object that fits on Earth. It has a bigger gravitational force than the Earth, and for some reason, doesn't break it. It also has a smaller force than the Sun.
What would happen? Would the Earth suddenly start spinning differently? Would it start orbiting away from the Sun? What about the moon?
(I don't even know if this is a possible idea, so that's why I also put a reality-check tag.)
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/82826. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
1 answer
Neutron star material, if it could be contained by means other than its own gravity; would require a cube about 390 meters on a side to equal the mass of the Earth, if it could somehow be 'placed' on the Earth.
As LSemi says, it would simply sink to the core, accelerating, and bounce back and forth for some time. (Before that, it would suck all the atmosphere from the far side of the planet.)
The bouncing would likely cause violent bending and shaking of the Earth, unpredictable randomized havoc and extreme sloshing of the crust and mantle (like a liquid), of all tectonic plates and all bodies of water. Expect massive volcanic eruptions. The disruptions will cause friction heating of massive proportions that will probably liquefy the crust, boil the oceans, and sterilize the planet. I believe all this gravitational jerking about would also throw the Earth and Moon out of their orbits.
There would be no time to admire or wonder about this; the havoc and death start pretty much immediately at the site of deposit.
Remember, it is 4000 miles to the Earth center, nothing is going to stop this thing from punching a hole through the Earth, coming out the other side, and diving back in to repeat that many times before settling down. Do not think the Earth is stiff enough to maintain its shape; it is going to be more like an anvil falling through air; the Earth material will be moving like the chaotic air turbulence you see in a wind tunnel. Nobody that saw this thing appear would live more than a few seconds to tell about it.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads