How can you Tell if you are in Free-fall Near a Massive Binary System
Most recent answer: 10/31/2015
- Jim (age 67)
Cary,NC
Hi Jim,
Nice question. If you are in an enclosed box and being sucked into a massive star system you won't experience any net force since your acceleration is the same as the gravitational force. However you can feel, at least measure, a tidal force. This is due to the gradient of the 1/r2 force and is responsible for the tides of the earth, both solar and lunar. Poor stars that are captured by a black hole get ripped apart by these tidal forces.
If the system is a pair of massive orbiting bodies it is possible in principle to determine that fact. As they rotate the gradient would add a small oscillating component at twice their orbital frequency.
How to mesure tidal forces in your space ship? Well, I could imagine some sort of apparatus consisting of springs with small masses attached to each end. The separation of the masses would be proportional to the tidal force.
See for some more information.
LeeH
(published on 10/31/2015)