The bulky object—possibly the core of a failed gas giant—challenges what astronomers think about how planets form.
  •  Sierra_Is_Bee   ( @Sierra_Is_Bee@beehaw.org ) English
    2•2 years ago

    I’m not an engineer or anything, but perhaps you could get a space elevator high enough to reach escape velocity more easily. Then again, it would have to be very tall I’m sure… Never mind probably not feasible.

    •  zhunk   ( @zhunk@beehaw.org ) English
      2•2 years ago

      For a geostationary orbit, which is where the center of mass of a space elevator would be:

      h = ³√ G * m * T² / ( 4 * π² ) - r

      • h: orbit height (m)
      • G: gravitational constant
      • m: mass of celestial body (kg)
      • T: period of rotation (s)
      • r: radius of celestial body (m)

      So, if the mass goes way up, the height of the orbit will, too, unless something crazy happens like the planet spinning super fast.