Does cold air sink in space?

[too-open-minded]

Basically what I'm asking is if their is an observable amount of gas in space, is their still a separation of its temperature, heat, or density?

Edited November 11, 2013 by too-open-minded

[DevilSolution]

Such as jupiter?? I suppose its the same as any atmosophere that switches between states.

 

Temperature can change as can density, mass would remain and the accumulation of gas would only sink as fast as gravity allows i think.

 

This is just my guess.

[Enthalpy]

If you mean "in zero gravity", then no separation occurs.

Though, if said gas is abundent enough to create its own gravity, that is approximately as massive as a Solar system, then some separation will occur. But as the center gets compressed and heats as a result, the process is less than obvious.

[Delta1212]

Sink toward what?

[too-open-minded]

So in "zero gravity" No separation of any density in a body of mass occurs?

 

Abundant enough? their has to be enough? I thought anything that that has mass, has gravity?

 

Maybe I am misunderstanding, please specify more Enthalpy.

 

I want to know what the difference would be between a body of gas changing temperature on earth and in "zero gravity."

[John Cuthber]

If you had a big enough cloud of gas it would tend to sink towards the middle of the cloud. It would also tend to diffuse away.

Which tendency won would depend on the size of the cloud and its temperature.

[too-open-minded]

Thankyou john, but what defines as big enough? Like there has to be a certain amount? What would that amount be?

[John Cuthber]

How big the cloud needs to be depends on temperature. It's not a simple question.

What's really weird is that if you get a big enough cloud of hydrogen, and wait long enough, bits of it start to wonder where they came from.

[too-open-minded]

So their can be the same amount of an element but depending on its temperature is the variable to whether or not their is a diffusion in the cloud?

 

Well I guess that really just actually depends on temperature variation. that was my question, so the colder gas in a cloud, condenses in the middle of the cloud in zero gravity? How does that differ from in the presence of a strong gravitational field and why?

 

I really like where this thread is going.

 

do we have any knowledge of why hydrogen does that?

[Spyman]

"In physics, the Jeans instability causes the collapse of interstellar gas clouds and subsequent star formation. It occurs when the internal gas pressure is not strong enough to prevent gravitational collapse of a region filled with matter. For stability, the cloud must be in hydrostatic equilibrium, which in case of a spherical cloud translates to:

 

,

 

where is the enclosed mass, is the pressure, is the density of the gas at , is the gravitational constant and is the radius. The equilibrium is stable if small perturbations are damped and unstable if they are amplified. In general, the cloud is unstable if it is either very massive at a given temperature or very cool at a given mass for gravity to overcome the gas pressure."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeans_instability

[swansont]

So their can be the same amount of an element but depending on its temperature is the variable to whether or not their is a diffusion in the cloud?

 

Well I guess that really just actually depends on temperature variation. that was my question, so the colder gas in a cloud, condenses in the middle of the cloud in zero gravity? How does that differ from in the presence of a strong gravitational field and why?

 

 

If you have a big cloud of hydrogen you can't approximate the region as being in zero gravity anymore.

[too-open-minded]

Thankyou very much spyman.

 

 

Why does hydrogen tend to leave the cloud after a given period of time like cuthbear said?

[Ophiolite]

How big the cloud needs to be depends on temperature. It's not a simple question.

What's really weird is that if you get a big enough cloud of hydrogen, and wait long enough, bits of it start to wonder where they came from.

Are you saying that Too Open Minded is an airhead?

[too-open-minded]

I am an airhead. Don't need anybody to tell me that

[J.C.MacSwell]

How big the cloud needs to be depends on temperature. It's not a simple question.

What's really weird is that if you get a big enough cloud of hydrogen, and wait long enough, bits of it start to wonder where they came from.

That's brilliant! (no pun intended)

 

[too-open-minded]

-_0 wow, just googled this and realized.... wow...... Right over my head......

 

Idk why but for some reason I read that as, bits of hydrogen out of the cloud started to wonder from where they came from. As in they begin to leave the cloud. wow, I can be so dumb sometimes lol.

Edited November 17, 2013 by too-open-minded

[John Cuthber]

That's brilliant! (no pun intended)

 

Glad you liked it, though I have to admit it's not original. I'm afraid I can't remember where I heard it.

[Amanbir Singh Grewal]

expansion and contraction will be a function of its size and temperature - John? keep talking......do you have more on this?

[John Cuthber]

I thought it was fairly clear. About 14 billion years ago the universe was created as a bunch of hydrogen. Some of that fused into heavier nuclei like carbon and iron and such. Some of those elements have come together to form planets and, on at least one of those planets life has arisen.

Some of the life on that planet wonders where it came from- the humans.

 

So some of the original hydrogen is now reading this message.

[J.C.MacSwell]

Glad you liked it, though I have to admit it's not original. I'm afraid I can't remember where I heard it.

The context in this case with the topic at hand was perfect. I tried to google it but found nothing.

[too-open-minded]

No lol, I get it. I just thought you meant that a cloud of hydrogen will start to separate after a given period of time.....

 

I really need to work on giving things more thought, I read your wonder as wander.... and took it very literally lol.....

Edited November 18, 2013 by too-open-minded