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Aaron Turner May 21, 2013 at 11:42 am
Ok, let's be a bit careful with the facts. It is not true that Mercury and Venus always have the…Read More same side facing the Sun - this was not known in 1909. It is true that the Moon has the same side facing Earth at all times.
When a body has this condition, that the same side faces the body it is orbiting at all time, what that really means is that its period of rotation is the same as its orbital period. So, our Moon has a rotation period of 27.3 days, which is precisely its orbital period. (Though not the time between identical phases, but that's another story).
For Mercury, the orbital period is 88 days, and its rotational period is 59 days - very, very slow compared to its orbital period.
For Venus, the orbital period is 224.5 days, and its rotational period is ... 243 days! Not only is its rotation longer than its orbital period, it is the only planet that rotates "backwards" relative to all of the other planets and their orbits.
Now, you asked why. The reason is quite complicated. When we have two bodies, say A and B, where B is smaller than A, and they are relatively close to one another compared to their sizes, the gravity from A will cause tidal distortions of B resulting in bulges forming in B. Then, once these bulges are formed, A's gravity will pull on bulges to gradually "brake" the rotation of B.
In the case of the Moon, it was formed from a massive planetary impact billions of years ago, and separated from Earth. At first it was a molten ball, so tidal forces from Earth's gravity immediately caused large tidal distortions, which caused the rapid braking of its rotation into its current condition.
Lastly, realize that even when we have the rotation and orbital period matching, it is not the case that the body doesn't rotate - the Moon rotates once per month.
John anderson May 21, 2013 at 09:23 am
Once again, an amazingly interesting report. Question: Mercury, Venus and our moon...they don't…Read More spin on their axis? If not, why not?
Steven DeVaux April 6, 2013 at 01:04 pm
Cowards hide behind another name and don't have the courage to speak their mind as their own.
Fact…Read More is, Brookfield's 10 year plan of conservation and development has an annual film festival right after they tore down their only theater in town for a big box store. Reflects the intelligence of the town's leadership....or the lack thereof. Their actions speak louder than your words. Actions always do.
Steven DeVraux April 5, 2013 at 09:24 pm
I know that I don't live in Brookfield, and all I do is make nasty, sarcastic comments in your…Read More online Patch. I don't have a Patch of my own, or actually, nobody pays attention to me anywhere else. It's just that I have no life, and sit on my computer all day because I have no life. I figure I can force my rude, narcissistic comments on the Brookfield community and ruin your lives like I ruined my own.
Steven DeVaux April 5, 2013 at 07:57 pm
Brookfield knocked down it's Fine Arts theater in order to build BJ's. That says it all.
Steven DeVaux March 15, 2013 at 08:13 am
Why can't they show them at the new Brookfield High School Auditorium?
Michael E Miracle March 15, 2013 at 03:41 am
Received the following clarification from Ann Amorossi..
We have four showings:
Friday April…Read More 5, 8:00 pm
Saturday April 6, 2:00 pm & 8:00 pm
Sunday April 7, 3:00 pm
Nancy Sasso Janis March 8, 2013 at 10:30 pm
IMPORTANT NOTICE: "ADRIFT IN MACAO" will now be CLOSING, SATURDAY, MARCH 16th. The weekend…Read More of MARCH 22ND AND 23RD HAS BEEN CANCELED. If you have already purchased a ticket for either of these 2 shows, you can ask for a refund or switch your tickets to a performance this weekend or next weekend. Just contact the box office at boxoffice@theatreworks.us. Our apologies. We hope you can make it to our five other performances! Thank you.
Nancy Sasso Janis March 14, 2013 at 10:21 pm
SATURDAY: Musicals at Richter is doing a second round of auditions for their outdoor summer season.…Read More See all the details at http://www.musicalsatrichter.org/auditions.php
Nancy Sasso Janis March 14, 2013 at 10:15 pm
This weekend is your LAST CHANCE to catch the hilarious musical comedy "Adrift In Macao"…Read More at TheatreWorks New Milford. Final performances are Friday and Saturday at 8PM. Get your tickets now at www.theatreworks.us!
"We Are the Face of the Ives"
0 1 Recommend Linda Anne Queiroz