Re: Interstellar Propulsion idea using an Asteroid and a few comets!

From: Martin 53N 1W (ml_news_at_ddnospamddml1dd.co.uk.dd)
Date: 08/23/04 

Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 12:10:15 GMT

Rand Simberg wrote:
> Alan Anderson wrote:
>
>>>>> Sun's gravity reaches out to at least 5 billion lightyears.
[...]
>>
>> It's not arbitrary at all. It's the age of the sun. The distance
>> specified just assumes (reasonably, IMO) that gravity propagates at the
>> speed of light.
>
> You (and Sander) are right. Mea culpa.

MMmmmm... But how 'right'?

Any astrophysicists out there to confirm/correct?...

1: Changes in gravity propagate out at the speed of light from thier
source...

2: The summed gravitational field is 'already there', otherwise orbits
would not be stable enough to be so long lived...

Thus, the rest of our galaxy is gravitationally unaware of whether our
solar system is a black hole or a gas cloud.

Or what have I missed?

Any chance of making a gravitational telescope? (Beyond LIGO et al.)

Regards,
Martin 

-- 
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