# How big does a rock have to be to keep you from jumping off it?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-rock-have-to-be-to-keep-you-from-jumping-off-it/600674
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 24, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-rock-have-to-be-to-keep-you-from-jumping-off-it/600674 "2011-10-24T20:14:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 2

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### Author: ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-rock-have-to-be-to-keep-you-from-jumping-off-it/600674/21 "2011-10-26T20:07:54Z")

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Minor asteroids end up getting named after anyone or anything. Officially, the IAU has final say in any name, but in practice, for the multitudes of unremarkable asteroids, they just rubber-stamp whatever the discoverer wants to name it. You probably could get away with naming an asteroid “Weiner”, as long as you claimed it was in honor of some person, or of the city of Vienna, or whatever.

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### Author: ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-rock-have-to-be-to-keep-you-from-jumping-off-it/600674/22 "2011-10-26T20:25:50Z")

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Well, since **DP** brought it up, I must admit I’d work pretty hard to get “The Great Stone Wiener” entered into the rolls. I’d not be beyond bribery.

And yes, the entire double entendre was intentional.

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### Author: ![industrialfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/fbc32d/32.png) [@industrialfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/industrialfish)
#### Post date: [October 26, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-does-a-rock-have-to-be-to-keep-you-from-jumping-off-it/600674/23 "2011-10-26T20:43:15Z")

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Might help figure things out.

Obligatory XKCD post.

> **[Gravity Wells](https://xkcd.com/681/)**
>
> This doesn't take into account the energy imparted by orbital motion (or gravity assists or the Oberth effect), all of which can make it easier to reach outer planets.

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