What happens to the orbit of the planets when the Sun becomes a red giant and a dwarf

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by joepistole, Jan 28, 2008.

  1. joepistole Deacon Blues Valued Senior Member

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    Will some planets be thrown off into space? Will Jupiter gain enough mass to become a star or brown dwarf? How much mass will the Sun loose during this process?
     
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  3. blobrana Registered Senior Member

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    I dont know.
    But i suspect as the sun grows the whole system could become unstable.
     
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  5. joepistole Deacon Blues Valued Senior Member

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    I thought you knew everything blobrana

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    . Your posts are always quite intelligent and knowlegable. But thanks for your answer. As the sun looses mass, its gravitational attraction would become weakened. I was just wondering if it would weaken to the point that planets stray from the solar system. I was also currious about how much solar mass would be captured by the planets, and Jupiter in particular. I don't know if anyone has looked at this issue. It is kind of far out in the future, but interesting speculation.
     
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  7. eburacum45 Valued Senior Member

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    It might be a good idea to check out this page about the subject
    http://www.astronomy.ohio-state.edu/~pogge/Lectures/vistas97.html
    I suspect that Jupiter will lose a lot of mass due to erosion by the fierce stellar wind and the various helium flash events, but will also gain a lot of matter from the same wind. But not enough to become a star; that would require about 80 times as much mass as it holds today.
     
  8. joepistole Deacon Blues Valued Senior Member

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