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 gradually spirals into the star.
B) It settles into a smaller orbit, with similar distance from the surface as the original orbit.
C) It remains in the same orbit.
D) It is instantly ejected from its orbit.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The object's orbit remains the same because the gravitational force depends on the mass of the star and the distance from the center of mass, not the size of the star. Since the mass and distance remain unchanged, the orbit is unaffected.

Consider an Object in Orbit Around a Star