Doughnut Worlds
- Thread starter Blue Ghost
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The show alludes to, but does not describe in detail, how unstable the planet is. A big part of the stability is having the planet rotate quickly. As in scary fast. I would have to look up the real science, but from what I recall it is fast enough that walking from the inside to the outside changes your weigh by a significant amount.
The problem is the tidal forces from the central star, and any moons, and any asteroid impacts that might slow the rotation might cause the whole thing to catastrophically revert to the more stable sphereoid shape.
The problem is the tidal forces from the central star, and any moons, and any asteroid impacts that might slow the rotation might cause the whole thing to catastrophically revert to the more stable sphereoid shape.
To be honest I find the whole thing a little far fetched. I mean in theory, as per the video, this can happen, but it just seems like a one in quadrillion chance, if at all, of happening.
And, as per your observation, if such a world did form, then it would probably fly apart in due course.
I just don't see it happening.
And, as per your observation, if such a world did form, then it would probably fly apart in due course.
I just don't see it happening.
Hi Thomas and Gang,
I thought about that too.
The only way to have the Torus shape be somewhat stable would probably be with a solid metallic core... But how would a heavy-metallic core form and not be sphere-shaped... Maybe some kind of pressure bubble popping in the center of a proto-planet?
It would certainly be playing the interstellar odds to have it form that way. But, then again, with the actual myriads of stars, I've learned that practically every rule seems to have an exception somewhere. If it can be imagined, it just probably exists in some corner of the universe...
It would definitely take a chance-formed hard-metallic core to remain a stable torus "doughnut" -shaped world.
Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
I thought about that too.
The only way to have the Torus shape be somewhat stable would probably be with a solid metallic core... But how would a heavy-metallic core form and not be sphere-shaped... Maybe some kind of pressure bubble popping in the center of a proto-planet?
It would certainly be playing the interstellar odds to have it form that way. But, then again, with the actual myriads of stars, I've learned that practically every rule seems to have an exception somewhere. If it can be imagined, it just probably exists in some corner of the universe...
It would definitely take a chance-formed hard-metallic core to remain a stable torus "doughnut" -shaped world.
Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
Non-sequitur, but loosely related; my favorite Simpson's ep with a donut theme; https://youtu.be/ydqkBG22Tk8
Timerover51
SOC-14 5K
While not a donut world, this would be a world definitely different from the average. Basically the way Space: 1889 envisions Mercury. If you designed a world like this, you could use the Space: 1889 Mercury map for the inhabitable area.
http://www.space.com/20856-alien-planets-eyeball-earths.html
http://www.space.com/20856-alien-planets-eyeball-earths.html
There are plenty of irregularly-shaped planetoids and plantesimals.
Maybe they are the "apple fritters" of the doughnut planet genre...
Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
Several are dumbbell shaped.
Such as 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, which Philae landed upon, and Rosetta orbits.
I saw a doc last year and this year about odd worlds, and "Deadliest Space Weather" hosted by the Weather Channel, and they had a world very much like that one. Though it had a different geography.
It was a Goldilocks planet tilted on its side. I can't remember all of the commentary ... I'll have to track down the doc.
But to get back on topic; I'm close to getting my office set up, and I have an artificial world for an adventure module that has a very loose resemblance to mister "doughnut world". But it's an artifice. It's not a naturally occurring body.
There may be (or have been, and will be) a few doughnut worlds, but I can't imagine them retaining their shape, or otherwise lasting for any length of time.
Thoughts?
Once you get it stable, it's likely to remain stable until it gets hit.
And by hit, I do mean HIT!
It would need to be hit by something massive enough to break the surface tension, and/or fast enough to alter the spin, the orbit, or the axis.
Essentially, it's just a many-many-many world version of a rosette, all orbiting the central point of the mass. In other words, it's a torroid because it's spinning at orbital velocity around its own center of mass.
http://io9.gizmodo.com/what-would-the-earth-be-like-if-it-was-the-shape-of-a-d-1515700296
Very cool link.
The one problem is that of a flat disk Earth (I'm assuming the world is habitable). V-Sauce explains; https://youtu.be/VNqNnUJVcVs
*EDIT*
p.s. I'm not done reading your link. Sorry if it was addressed.
The one problem is that of a flat disk Earth (I'm assuming the world is habitable). V-Sauce explains; https://youtu.be/VNqNnUJVcVs
*EDIT*
p.s. I'm not done reading your link. Sorry if it was addressed.
Finished reading your link.
Wow. Some wild weather on a Toroid (doughnut) world. Some far out lunar orbits too. Crazy stuff. Seriously crazy too, not just "meh, that's kind of neat or interesting...", but really crazy.
It almost sounds like something the Ancients might have tried to create ... :smirk:
Wow. Some wild weather on a Toroid (doughnut) world. Some far out lunar orbits too. Crazy stuff. Seriously crazy too, not just "meh, that's kind of neat or interesting...", but really crazy.
It almost sounds like something the Ancients might have tried to create ... :smirk:
Depending upon the tilt of the world relative to the sun and if it has any significant moons, the tidal forces from either or both will eventually slow the rotation enough to have the world collapse. On an world in the habitable zone around a G class star with no moons you might be talking a few hundred million years. Around smaller stars it would be less. In the outer zone and assuming no gas giants or binary stars, it may half a billion years.
You could colonize the world, and it would be safe for a while. But sooner or later it will collapse.
If it has a moon, it won't form. The tide alone precludes it.
Sooner or later, everything will collapse or die the big heat-death.... LOL ;-)
Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.
It strikes me that doughnut worlds are interesting on many levels, but there doesn't seem to be much real practicality to them. More than an academic exercise, but not quite the intriguing adventure seed one might think them to be.
Still, according to Aramis's link there are some wild weather and tidal patterns on toroid shaped planets. Waves nine times as high as we experience now. Imagine going to Honolulu for the big surfing competition on some of the largest waves in the world. Then multiply that by nine.
Wow.
Interesting topic.
Still, according to Aramis's link there are some wild weather and tidal patterns on toroid shaped planets. Waves nine times as high as we experience now. Imagine going to Honolulu for the big surfing competition on some of the largest waves in the world. Then multiply that by nine.
Wow.
Interesting topic.
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