HackerTube.runGood videos, with context.
Hitting the Sun is HARD
About this video
A three-minute minutephysics video on the orbital mechanics of why crashing into the Sun takes far more energy than leaving the solar system.
Why it appears in the archive
HN links it as the quick explanation of why you cannot just throw things into the Sun.
AI-generated summary and labels from the source dataset; verify important details against the video. Source & credits.
From the Hacker News discussion
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] [VIDEO]
Read original comment ↗... 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. [VIDEO] 'doh, you got a reaction out of me anyhow!
Read original comment ↗It's apparently pretty hard to hit the Sun: [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.
Read original comment ↗That's right, as explained in the following minutephysics video (3 minutes): Hitting the Sun is HARD. [VIDEO]
Read original comment ↗