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Moon's Orbit Around The Earth
I am curious why the moon's orbit is the way it is:
http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/WebImg/earmoon.gif The planets (mostly) orbit the sun in pretty much the same plane and direction, counter clockwise as seen from (say) Polaris, around the sun's equator. That would lead one to think that our moon should also revolve around the earth with an orbit really close to the earth's equator. Not true, however - according to the picture above, the orbit is some 12 degrees off the equatorial path. So - why doesn't the tidal effect (?) of the earth's rotation also force the moon into a similar orbit? I would think, after X billion years, whatever original motion it had would be dissipated as it was constantly pulled towards the bulge of our equator. And, while we are at it, why does Venus spin on its axis in the opposite direction? Very confusing! DS |
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Moon's Orbit Around The Earth
"Devon Sedlydins" wrote in message...
... I am curious why the moon's orbit is the way it is: http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/WebImg/earmoon.gif The planets (mostly) orbit the sun in pretty much the same plane and direction, counter clockwise as seen from (say) Polaris, around the sun's equator. That would lead one to think that our moon should also revolve around the earth with an orbit really close to the earth's equator. Not true, however - according to the picture above, the orbit is some 12 degrees off the equatorial path. So - why doesn't the tidal effect (?) of the earth's rotation also force the moon into a similar orbit? I would think, after X billion years, whatever original motion it had would be dissipated as it was constantly pulled towards the bulge of our equator. And, while we are at it, why does Venus spin on its axis in the opposite direction? Very confusing! DS Yes, DS, these are very curious things. If you'll recheck it, you'll find that the Moon's orbit is, not 12 degrees off Earth's equatorial path, but more like 28 or 29 degrees off it. This and the fact that the Moon orbits a mere 5 degrees off the ecliptic (planet Mercury orbits 7 degrees off the ecliptic), as well as several other factors leads some scientists and others, including myself and, when he was alive, Isaac Asimov, to conclude that the Moon is a full-fledged major planet. I call the Moon planet "Selene", a name brought down to us from the ancient Greeks. Selene is Earth's sister planet and both are what Asimov called a "binary-planet system". Keep in mind that none of this is "officially" recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the governing body of world astronomy. As for Venus, i'm not sure. But it may follow that if Venus is headed for synchronized orbit with the Sun (like Mercury and like the Moon is with Earth), then the "last throes" probably include oscillations. This just means that for a few centuries Venus will be in retro-rotation, then back to "normal" spin direction, then back again to retro, each time the spin range getting smaller and smaller until full sync occurs (when Venus always shows the same face toward the Sun). happy days and... starry starry nights! -- Indelibly yours, Paine P.S. Thank YOU for reading! P.P.S. (shh) Some secret sites... http://painellsworth.net http://savethechildren.org http://eBook-eDen.secretsgolden.com |
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Moon's Orbit Around The Earth
"Painius" wrote in message...
... . . . As for Venus, i'm not sure. But it may follow that if Venus is headed for synchronized orbit with the Sun (like Mercury and like the Moon is with Earth), . . . oops! i should have checked this before posting my reply to you, DS... The Moon is definitely in synchronous orbit with the Earth and always (except for a little libration) shows the same face toward Earth. Mercury however is still in the process of synching with the Sun. It revolves around the Sun in 88 days, and if it was truly in sync with the sun would have a period of rotation of 88 days. (By the way, it was not so long ago that astronomers believed this was the case.) But Mercury's rotation period is a little less than 59 days. So it's not quite in sync with the Sun. Then Mercury, too, might be undergoing those same synchronizing oscillations that Venus appears to be undergoing. This may mean that in a few hundred years, perhaps Mercury's rotation will go into retro! happy days and... starry starry nights! -- Indelibly yours, Paine P.S. Thank YOU for reading! P.P.S. (shh) Some secret sites... http://painellsworth.net http://savethechildren.org http://eBook-eDen.secretsgolden.com |
#4
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Moon's Orbit Around The Earth
On Feb 6, 2:40*pm, "Painius" wrote:
"Devon Sedlydins" wrote in message... ... I am curious why the moon's orbit is the way it is: http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/WebImg/earmoon.gif The planets (mostly) orbit the sun in pretty much the same plane and direction, counter clockwise as seen from (say) Polaris, around the sun's equator. That would lead one to think that our moon should also revolve around the earth with an orbit really close to the earth's equator. Not true, however - according to the picture above, the orbit is some 12 degrees off the equatorial path. So - why doesn't the tidal effect (?) of the earth's rotation also force the moon into a similar orbit? I would think, after X billion years, whatever original motion it had would be dissipated as it *was constantly pulled towards the bulge of our equator. And, while we are at it, why does Venus spin on its axis in the opposite direction? Very confusing! DS Yes, DS, these are very curious things. *If you'll recheck it, you'll find that the Moon's orbit is, not 12 degrees off Earth's equatorial path, but more like 28 or 29 degrees off it. This and the fact that the Moon orbits a mere 5 degrees off the ecliptic (planet Mercury orbits 7 degrees off the ecliptic), as well as several other factors leads some scientists and others, including myself and, when he was alive, Isaac Asimov, to conclude that the Moon is a full-fledged major planet. *I call the Moon planet "Selene", a name brought down to us from the ancient Greeks. Selene is Earth's sister planet and both are what Asimov called a "binary-planet system". *Keep in mind that none of this is "officially" recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the governing body of world astronomy. As for Venus, i'm not sure. *But it may follow that if Venus is headed for synchronized orbit with the Sun (like Mercury and like the Moon is with Earth), then the "last throes" probably include oscillations. This just means that for a few centuries Venus will be in retro-rotation, then back to "normal" spin direction, then back again to retro, each time the spin range getting smaller and smaller until full sync occurs (when Venus always shows the same face toward the Sun). happy days and... * *starry starry nights! -- Indelibly yours, Paine *P.S. Thank YOU for reading! * * P.P.S. (shh) Some secret sites... * * * *http://painellsworth.net * * * * * * *http://savethechildren.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * *http://eBook-eDen.secretsgolden.com- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Painius Kind of pushing it calling the moon Earth's sister. Moon and Mars relate better. Both are dry dusty and have lots ot rocks and craters.Bert |
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Moon's Orbit Around The Earth
wrote in message...
... On Feb 6, 2:40 pm, "Painius" wrote: . . . Selene is Earth's sister planet and both are what Asimov called a "binary-planet system". . . . Painius Kind of pushing it calling the moon Earth's sister. Moon and Mars relate better. Both are dry dusty and have lots ot rocks and craters.Bert Bert, for me the requirement for being sisters is not necessarily how much alike they are, but if they are sprung from the same parental orbit . And i think the evidence is very strong that both Earth and Selene originated right smack in this orbit, the same orbit around the Sun that they've been in for about 4.5 billion years. Haven't you ever met two girls who were sisters who were about as different from each other as they could possibly be? Before we were married, i was very close with my wife's sister, who in fact introduced us. And sometimes i find it hard to believe that their parents didn't live on different planets! happy days and... starry starry nights! -- Indelibly yours, Paine P.S. Thank YOU for reading! P.P.S. (shh) Some secret sites... http://painellsworth.net http://savethechildren.org http://eBook-eDen.secretsgolden.com |
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