Ask Ethan: Can stars escape from the galaxy, with planets intact?
Is stellar ejection a real thing, and if so, can planets come along for the ride?
“Mapping out the elements in a star is like reading its DNA. We’re using those DNA readings to decode the history of the Milky Way from the stars that we can observe today.” -Steven Majewski
Although the stars in our galaxy will live for billions of years, every once in a while, a catastrophe could happen that knocked one out of its stable orbit around our galaxy. Would it be possible for one to not only be perturbed, but to be ejected entirely? And if it were, is there any chance that you could still hang onto your planets, perhaps resulting in a habitable, intergalactic world, where your “Sun” (and perhaps some other planets) comprises the only bright light you’ll see? Andy Brewer wants to know for this week’s Ask Ethan:
Is it possible for a star to escape the gravitational pull of its galaxy? If so, could it do so with orbiting planets? If so, if you were on a planet and gazing at the night sky, would you see constellations made up of galaxies?
