initially, because the atoms are so highly energized/hot, they would rush at high speed outward, via diffusion. afaik, the atoms inside of a star are not bound together (its too hot for the bonds to form), yet gravity holds them together much like a liquid. As the heat and outer layers of the sun rushed away, the cooling core may cool enough to bond and form solid matter (i think carbon would be the most complex possible type).
I don't know if that last part is possible, as it might just be too hot. I'd think it'd be closer to an explosion, even visually, as the atoms rushing away from the star would still be emitting light. A huge flash might be a better description.
lol, my best guess
I have no idea if the atoms themselves would split
I was suggesting the atoms at the core might be so highly charged compared to those at the surface, that, once gravity was taken away, the atoms at the core would diffuse out so much faster than those on the surface, that it may "explode" from the inside.
internal pressure prevents a star from collapsing inwards under it's own gravity...and the density of the core creates enough gravity to prevent the outer layers of the star from expanding
without the gravity the star would expand until the core was no longer dense enough to allow nuclear fusion and the conversion of hydrogen to helium...no nuclear fusion...no radiative or convective heat...so initally the star would expand outwards rapidly...then stop buring....so effectively it would appear to explode...and fizzle out
Re: Science Question
Originally posted by ShakyamunisonI'm not convinced there's a difference between evaporation and explosion in space. They both sound right. If you wanna get overly specific, both definitions are wrong. But nobody cares about such specifics.
I was having a discussion with a friend. I said if you could turn off the gravity that held a star together, the star would explode. He said it would just evaporate. What do you think?
Originally posted by ShakyamunisonI'd call it diffusion.
Then what would happen?
Originally posted by Quark_666
I'd call it diffusion.
You can call it explosion, even though that is supposed to have noise.
You can call it evaporation, even though that implies moisture.
I would suggest that your question doesn't have an option B. No matter what you call it, it's the same process. A bunch of hot, centralized matter becomes no longer centralized.
Would there be supernovae?
Re: Science Question
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I was having a discussion with a friend. I said if you could turn off the gravity that held a star together, the star would explode. He said it would just evaporate. What do you think?If you could magically turn off gravity, what would happen to a star?
It would explode. Massive amounts of energy are produced at the very center, even with their gravity keeping them "stable" there are flares and arc and such.
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Would there be supernovae?
No. That requires implosion to initiate. No gravity means no implosion.
it wud be a supernova actually, althoug more spectacular. fusion would stop very soon as the particles move out and pressure at the core decreases, but the energised ions, held together only by gravity would burst outwards away from the centre of density and it would be a spectacular glowing explosion. also, the core particles would literally explode out as they have exponentially more energy than particles towars the surface, the lower explosive speeds of the outside particles would create a sort of enclosed casinfg for the inner more energetic particles and some pressure would build but the star would sintantly explode, from inside out, and the frictin between the low velocity and high velocity inner particles itself would emit a lot of em ways, probably a lot of x rays. im no expert, but this is what i think.
Originally posted by leonheartmm
erm in terms of from earth, lol, wed all be dead. the ensuing explosion wud easily destroy much of the solar system. atleast a supernova has borned out its share of fusion fuel and got less mass left.
Speaking strictly as a mortal, I feel that both would leave me equally dead.
Re: Science Question
Originally posted by Shakyamunison
I was having a discussion with a friend. I said if you could turn off the gravity that held a star together, the star would explode. He said it would just evaporate. What do you think?If you could magically turn off gravity, what would happen to a star?
Isn't gravity created because a star is so large? I've never actually taken a physics class, this is just what I remember from learning about space in elementary school.