Bomb#20
Contributor
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2004
- Messages
- 8,783
- Location
- California
- Gender
- It's a free country.
- Basic Beliefs
- Rationalism
Of course it will work. The moon will be accelerated by Ceres' gravity but will not be accelerated enough to impact at or above escape velocity. This follows from the conservation of energy. "Escape velocity" is simply the velocity at which the moon's kinetic energy is equal to the increase in potential energy it would take for it to climb out of Ceres' gravity well. The fact that it starts out in orbit proves it has less kinetic energy than that. Being slowed down by a collision reduces its kinetic energy further, without changing its potential energy. In its subsequent trajectory the sum of kinetic and potential energy doesn't change. So if hasn't got enough kinetic energy to climb out of the gravity well right after the collision, which of course it does't, then it still hasn't got enough when it hits Ceres.Piece of cake. Start with a small moon in orbit around Ceres. A big enough meteorite smacks into the front of the moon, reducing its momentum enough to make its new orbit intersect Ceres. So the (ex)moon hits with orbital velocity, which is well below escape velocity.
Nope, that won't work, the moon will be accelerated by Ceres gravity and will impact at or above escape velocity.