Freakin' playing Civ 4!Turner said:I hate to say this, but where's Perf when you need him?
Well there's a problem with that idea, it changes! Stars in the galaxy go around in crazy go nuts fashion, it's not the orderly circular orbits you see with planets in the solar system, no stars go to and fro and every which way. To give in example in a few million years a star known as Gliese 710 will be just over a light year away from us.Turner said:I'd venture to guess that it's where the sun's gravity stops pulling you in.
Well to be correct it's where solar wind ends or at least slows down (I don't fully understand the whole thing), it's not where the Sun's influence ends. The Sun's gravity well is far beyond these points.taillesskangaru said:It ends at the heliopause at a boundary called the "termination shock", where the sun's solar wind is slowed to subsonic speed by interstellar wind. It's around 76 - 100 AU from the sun. It's where the sun's influence ends and interstellar space begins.
I think the indirect evidence for icy bodies (the long-period bodies) beyond the small area confined by the KBOs is enough to support the existance of the Oort Cloudtaillesskangaru said:Also the existance of the Oort Cloud is not confirmed.
Well, with the discovery of Sedna many are discussing the possibility that it may be significantly smallertaillesskangaru said:It's supposed to be a region where long-orbital period comets originated, at about 50000 - 100000 AU from the sun (1 light year).
I think loose binding counts for something. They certainly have an impact on the innermost parts of the solar system and they are bound to the solar system, just because they are easily disrupted by other solar systems is IMO not a good enough excuse to throw them up.taillesskangaru said:The comets in the Cloud are only loosely bound to the solar system and only ventures into the Solar System proper only when disturbed by gravity of passing stars or gas giant planets.
Of course those iceballs are significant. Comets have a role in the behavior of the solar system and any discussion of the solar system that excludes them seems to be rather silly.taillesskangaru said:I preferred the heliopause as the limit of the solar system and I consider the Oort Cloud as just a band of insignificant icy rocks deep-frozen in interstellar space.
Perfection said:I think loose binding counts for something. They certainly have an impact on the innermost parts of the solar system and they are bound to the solar system, just because they are easily disrupted by other solar systems is IMO not a good enough excuse to throw them up.
VRWCAgent said:I cannot seem to get a definitive answer to this. I've read oort cloud in some places, the heliosphere in others, just beyond the Kuiper belt objects in another place.
Really, it cannot be that hard to give a boundary can it?
Leatherneck said:It ends when you get to the sign that says "Thank you for visiting the Solar System - Please come again!"
Where does the solar system end?
This is a good time to ask wiki (because it can explain it better than I can)Bozo Erectus said:Heres a weird question, I'll try to put it into words properly: Our sun is in a spiral arm of the galaxy along with of course many others. Heres the tricky part. Whats the internal structure of a 'spiral arm'. Would an arm almost be like a hollow tube, with most of the stars revolving around the edges?
edit: or I guess I should say, revolving around an empty center.