Explain, with reference to the Schwarzschild radius, why the sun isn’t a black hole.

The Schwarzschild radius of the sun can be calculated using Rs= (2GM)/c2. Substitute in the mass of the sun (M=21030), the speed of light (c=3108), and the universal gravitational constant (G=6.67410-11). a radius of 2966.35m will be calculated
Comparing this to the actual radius of the sun (7
105km) it is seen that the real radius is much larder than the Schwarzschild radius. This means that the Schwarzschild zone ends within the sun! (I.e the sun would have to be <3000m in order to be a black hole.

LB
Answered by Libbie B. Physics tutor

4222 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A car travels 100 metres in 20 seconds. i) What is the cars speed? ii) How far would the car travel in 1 minute 40 seconds?


What is the difference between a vector and a scalar quantity?


Insulating a home costs £2000 and saves £50 a year. What is the payback time?


A footballer kicks a ball vertically upwards. Initially, the ball is stationary. His boot is in contact with the ball for 0.050s. The average resultant force on the ball during this time is 180N. The ball leaves his foot at 20m/s. Calculate the impulse


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning