what would happen if a rogue, earth-size planet ran straight into the sun? anything interesting?

originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com to No Stupid Questions@lemmy.world – 188 points –

or just a 'poof'?

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For a start, the planet wouldn't actually collide with the sun on one piece - once the planet crosses the Roche limit it will break apart

Sorry, but that’s wrong.

Roche limit applies in a circular orbit, tidal effects are irrelevant in a head on collision.

Famous example of a comet breaking up from entering Jupiter's roche limit in a highly eccentric orbit (not circular). Spaghettification is also an example of how tidal forces still apply during a head on collision.

Eccentric orbit is still an orbit with tidal forces.

A dead in crash will stretch the sphere, but without angular momentum, it’s just a raindrop.

if it "ran straight", it wouldn't have tangential speed, only radial.

All of the mass would still hit the sun, though.

Yeah, but single large mass hitting in one place vs stuff spread out vs planet forming a ring and deorbiting over months/years would affect the outcome

Practically, I'd think there wouldn't be a huge effect beyond some CMEs - the mass of the earth is a rounding error compared to the sun - but I'm not a cosmologist