Hitting the Sun is HARD
minutephysics1 HN recommender · recommended in 1 month, 2019–2023
explainer · general · evergreen · 2019–2023 on HN
A three-minute minutephysics video on the orbital mechanics of why crashing into the Sun takes far more energy than leaving the solar system.
HN links it as the quick explanation of why you cannot just throw things into the Sun.
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4 comments from Hacker News
Another explanation[1] that shows how it's not just the cost of escaping Earth gravity (which is high enough already) but the delta-v required to de-orbit. It's easier to throw the garbage out of the solar system than it is to descend into the Sun. [1] ▶ this video
That's right, as explained in the following minutephysics video (3 minutes): Hitting the Sun is HARD. ▶ this video
It's apparently pretty hard to hit the Sun: ▶ this video (Though that video mostly talks about small objects like rockets. Maybe it's a different story for dwarf planets?) That said... Keep in mind that this is about a dwarf planet orbiting the Sun. It's 11 AU out, so twice as far from the Sun as Jupiter is.
... wait, to throw it into the sun. Okay, nice try there! Everyone on HN should know the Canadarm can't achieve the approx 29 km/s needed to cancel orbital velocity around the sun in the vicinity of Earth. ▶ this video 'doh, you got a reaction out of me anyhow!