Comments on: The Conic Sections–or–Understanding Ouamuamua https://habitablezone.com/2022/06/10/the-conic-sections/ Tue, 07 Apr 2026 04:45:30 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2022/06/10/the-conic-sections/#comment-50094 podrock Sat, 11 Jun 2022 02:20:59 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=95021#comment-50094 Is far more complex than most people realize. Is far more complex than most people realize.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2022/06/10/the-conic-sections/#comment-50093 ER Sat, 11 Jun 2022 01:06:53 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=95021#comment-50093 because every object in the solar system is already orbiting the sun, and sometimes another planet as well. And these orbital speeds are generally much faster than our propulsion can impart to the vehicle. For example, if you want to fly from earth to Mars, you add enough energy to your rocket to alter its orbit slightly so it intersects Mars's orbit. You do this by speeding up. Of course, when you get there, you'll be going too fast to stop, so you'll have to do another burn to slow down. To go down the gravity well, say on a trip to Venus, you have to slow down your orbital velocity so you can fall sunward. Everything is in motion, relative to the sun. Now if there were an object floating stationary in space NOT in orbit around the sun, it wouldn't have to do anything. Left alone, the sun's gravity would pull on it and it would simply fall down the well. The reason spacecraft have to do all these complex powered maneuvers is that they are ALREADY in orbit, and need to alter their orbits to get to their destination. And of course, once they get there, they have to boost again to match course and speed with their destination. Read this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit because every object in the solar system is already orbiting the sun, and sometimes another planet as well. And these orbital speeds are generally much faster than our propulsion can impart to the vehicle. For example, if you want to fly from earth to Mars, you add enough energy to your rocket to alter its orbit slightly so it intersects Mars’s orbit. You do this by speeding up. Of course, when you get there, you’ll be going too fast to stop, so you’ll have to do another burn to slow down.

To go down the gravity well, say on a trip to Venus, you have to slow down your orbital velocity so you can fall sunward. Everything is in motion, relative to the sun.

Now if there were an object floating stationary in space NOT in orbit around the sun, it wouldn’t have to do anything. Left alone, the sun’s gravity would pull on it and it would simply fall down the well. The reason spacecraft have to do all these complex powered maneuvers is that they are ALREADY in orbit, and need to alter their orbits to get to their destination. And of course, once they get there, they have to boost again to match course and speed with their destination.

Read this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hohmann_transfer_orbit

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2022/06/10/the-conic-sections/#comment-50092 ER Sat, 11 Jun 2022 00:50:38 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=95021#comment-50092 Ouamuamua was just drifting along and its orbit around the galactic center just happened to intersect the sun's orbit. However, the sun's gravity did affect it as it "fell in" and it picked up speed. It then passed through the inner solar system, losing speed as it pulled away into extragalactic space. but not enough to get dragged back. Apparently, this object experienced a little additional acceleration, presumably from some gas venting (or maybe a Dean Drive? 8) ) that was detected as its orbit was plotted on the way out. Still, we must keep in mind that theoretically, every atom of matter attracts every other particle in the universe, but because of inverse square law, the force of attraction becomes negligible at great distances. So it is wrong to think of the sun's gravity as hoovering the surrounding space, sucking up all loose debris. Ouamuamua was just drifting along and its orbit around the galactic center just happened to intersect the sun’s orbit. However, the sun’s gravity did affect it as it “fell in” and it picked up speed. It then passed through the inner solar system, losing speed as it pulled away into extragalactic space. but not enough to get dragged back.

Apparently, this object experienced a little additional acceleration, presumably from some gas venting (or maybe a Dean Drive? 8) ) that was detected as its orbit was plotted on the way out.

Still, we must keep in mind that theoretically, every atom of matter attracts every other particle in the universe, but because of inverse square law, the force of attraction becomes negligible at great distances. So it is wrong to think of the sun’s gravity as hoovering the surrounding space, sucking up all loose debris.

]]> By: RobVG https://habitablezone.com/2022/06/10/the-conic-sections/#comment-50089 RobVG Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:46:39 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=95021#comment-50089 You're not saying that gravitational attraction drew Ouamuamua in from somewhere out in our galaxy, are you? It seems to me it was a random crossing of paths brought closer by gravity. You’re not saying that gravitational attraction drew Ouamuamua in from somewhere out in our galaxy, are you? It seems to me it was a random crossing of paths brought closer by gravity.

]]> By: podrock https://habitablezone.com/2022/06/10/the-conic-sections/#comment-50088 podrock Fri, 10 Jun 2022 19:02:39 +0000 https://habitablezone.com/?p=95021#comment-50088 Applies to spacecraft as well. You cannot fly straight to a planet. Is this because Space-Time gravity wells are cones? (In 4 dimensions, but still...) Applies to spacecraft as well. You cannot fly straight to a planet.

Is this because Space-Time gravity wells are cones? (In 4 dimensions, but still…)

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