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/sci/ - Science & Math

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5765640 No.5765640 [Reply] [Original]

hi /sci/ :)

highschool dropout here. I have a question.

If the earth's mass is increasing from collecting space dust as well as global warming trapping energy in our atmosphere and ice turning to water and the molten core cooling down...the effect of gravity will inevitably increase.

So my question is about how long do we have(relative to human lifespans) before gravity's pull prevents us from breaking through the atmosphere and we are essentially stuck on earth?

>> No.5765646 [DELETED] 

>>5765640
The build up of space dust and things like that is negligible. Only a large meteorite colliding on earth and its mass staying here will have any slight effect, and that is probably countered by all the space junk we leave lying around, which is mass from the Earth that isn't here anymore.

The Sun will end long before any significant increase of earth-mass ever occurs.

>> No.5765649

More mass would mean a higher escape velocity required ... Derived from V=sqrt of 2GM/r. The answer would depend on our current level of prepulsion tech as your situation would require that Vprepulsion<Vescape. From first glance, i doubt it would ever happen.

>> No.5765654
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5765654

Earth gains about 40,000 tonnes of dust every year and about 95,000 tonnes of hydrogen and 1,600 tones of helium escape Earth every year

More or Less, a BBC Radio 4 program

>> No.5765655

I don't want to be stuck on a planet with people I hate.

>> No.5765679
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5765679

and still it slows down
except during northern summer that is

>> No.5765703

>>5765654
>More or Less, a BBC Radio 4 program
0.00.../10

>> No.5767836
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5767836

>>5765703
Bump for comedy Au

>> No.5767853

>>5765640
It won't. We will evolve.

>> No.5767870

Just rang my chemistry professor to ask this, we have aprox. 400 years.

>> No.5767921

I wonder why you chose to tell us you were a high school drop out, as if it matters.

The amount the earth's mass is increasing by from space dust or whatever is negligible compared to the already massive size of the earth. It's like placing a feather on a grand piano and asking if it weighs any more.

Also global warming isn't trapping energy in our atmosphere. That is due to the greenhouse effect, caused by greenhouse gases such as CO2 and H2O which may or may not be a cause to the fact that the earth is warming. Scientists are still unsure about this.

That will never happen. We will always be able to build bigger and better rockets that could escape the atmosphere. What's more likely is that the earth will gradually drift closer and closer to the sun until we burn up. But that won't happen for a very, very long time.