Consider an object in orbit around a star. The star suddenly shrinks in size, but does not change its mass. What happens to the object's orbit?
A)It is instantly ejected from its orbit.
B)It gradually spirals into the star.
C)It remains in the same orbit.
D)It settles into a smaller orbit, with similar distance from the surface as the original orbit.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The gravitational force between the object and the star depends on their masses and the distance between their centers of mass. If the star's mass remains unchanged, the gravitational force and thus the object's orbit remain unaffected by the star's change in size.

Consider an Object in Orbit Around a Star