Answer: I think not. According to this passage on Google Books,
"Interstellar comets with velocities at infinity of 20 km s-1 can be captured by three-body interactions within the planetary system."
Now, suppose what he is trying to say would be that a reasonable speed for a comet to travel would be 20 km/sec. That would be about 18,000 miles a day, or 6.5 million miles a year. At that rate it would take about 3.6 million years to travel from the Sun to its nearest star. (Disclosure: I take no responsibility for any inaccuracies in this calculation).
So it would take a minimum of 3.6 million years for the closest star to move 180 degrees through your line of sight. That's 20,000 years per degree; in other words, no, the stars would not appear to be moving.
Comments 1
"Interstellar comets with velocities at infinity of 20 km s-1 can be captured by three-body interactions within the planetary system."
Now, suppose what he is trying to say would be that a reasonable speed for a comet to travel would be 20 km/sec. That would be about 18,000 miles a day, or 6.5 million miles a year. At that rate it would take about 3.6 million years to travel from the Sun to its nearest star. (Disclosure: I take no responsibility for any inaccuracies in this calculation).
So it would take a minimum of 3.6 million years for the closest star to move 180 degrees through your line of sight. That's 20,000 years per degree; in other words, no, the stars would not appear to be moving.
Reply
Leave a comment