Yesterday I played Universe Sandbox and I turned the sun into a black hole as it had a mass like the sun, nothing changed, but when I started playing with the mass of a black hole, the whole solar system started to crumble

[Pawelk198604]

Yesterday I played Universe Sandbox and I turned the sun into a black hole as it had a mass like the sun, nothing changed, but when I started playing with the mass of a black hole, the whole solar system started to crumble, then when I went to sleep I dreamed that our the solar system a black hole flew in from deep space and that black hole wants to suck us in

[Vanamonde]

Or maybe that's real and today you're dreaming that it's not happening. 

[mikegarrison]

Yeah, if you just change the mass of the black hole, all the planets will either fall into it of fly away. Why? Well, it's because right now they have the correct speed to be orbiting the sun. If you change the mass of the sun (either by making it  a black hole or just by making it a star with a different mass), then they will suddenly be at the wrong speed to be orbiting. Either they will have too much speed and will try to fly away, or they will have too little speed and so will fall in toward the sun.

[mikegarrison]

2 hours ago, Vanamonde said:

Or maybe that's real and today you're dreaming that it's not happening. 

Ever read The Lathe Of Heaven?

[Vanamonde]

1 hour ago, mikegarrison said:

Ever read The Lathe Of Heaven?

A very long time ago. I vaguely recall that the BBC show was pretty good, too, despite having a budget of about 35 cents. 

[mikegarrison]

22 minutes ago, Vanamonde said:

A very long time ago. I vaguely recall that the BBC show was pretty good, too, despite having a budget of about 35 cents. 

If you are thinking about the production I am thinking about, it was actually a PBS original from 1980. I saw it before I read the novel. Ursula Le Guin was involved in the production, so it was very faithful to the novel.

Anyway, the reason I mention it is the connection to the idea that maybe it is this world that is the dream.