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The Moon

Thu, 01 January 2004 02:55

gible

Commander

Messages: 1343
Registered: November 2002
Location: Wellington, New Zealand

I was musing this evening.

The moon's day and year are both the same length. Thus it always presents the same side to the earth. This quirk probably held back ancient astronomy by several thousand years as something as obvious as a rotating ball in the sky is something of a give away. The odds of this quirk occuring must be astronomical (pun intended. Very Happy

) And are they exactly the same length? Or is the moon very slowly turning on us?

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Re: The Moon

Thu, 01 January 2004 04:44

Sotek

Chief Warrant Officer 2

Messages: 167
Registered: November 2002

They are exactly the same rate, although it changes slightly.

And it's not even remotely coincidental.

It's a result of the tides that the earth causes on the moon; they slowed it until the day and year matched, and their effect was neutralized.

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Re: The Moon

Thu, 01 January 2004 20:50

nash

Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 84
Registered: December 2003
Location: Sydney Australia

As mentioned above - tidal forces make it very un-coincidental.
Many other moons have the same properties.

Having said that there are a number of ways in which it is possible to tell the moon is a sphere from earth.

The first is the shape of the earths shadow on the moon.

Second is the shape of the shadow on the moon from the sun.

Third the moon wobbles as it orbits, showing slightly more then 50% of it's surface. European scholars had mapped more then 50% of the surface before the 1600s.

Forth you can see a bit more then 50% just by watching it very carefully as it passes through the night (small, but since the center of the orbit is NOT you point of viewing, you can see a small amount more).

So basically there is no excuse for any culture to think the moon was not a sphere. Aristotle considered it a sphere, so there was no excuse to think that.

So I think it had no effect on astronomy. Do a web search for 'The myth of the Flat Earth' and discover many miscoonceptions about ancient astronomy. Otherwise read 'Bad Astronomy', an excellent book Wink

Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.

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Re: The Moon

Thu, 01 January 2004 22:09

Hatterson

Warrant Officer
Past Weekly Puzzle Master

Messages: 121
Registered: May 2003
Location: NY, USA

In fact, until the work of Galileo the moon was considered to be a perfect sphere.

"Don't be so humble - you are not that great. " - Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diplomat

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Re: The Moon

Sat, 03 January 2004 18:20

nash

Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 84
Registered: December 2003
Location: Sydney Australia

Actually there is a long story behind that.

Aristotle proposed that the sun, moon and other planetary bodies were in fact perfect spheres. The church of rome went so far as to claim they were perfect and unblemished.

How anyone can claim the moon is a perfect sphere, when it is obvious it has marks all over it is way beyond me...

Of course maybe the marks just arived since the 1600s...

Sentio aliquos togatos contra me conspirare.

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Re: The Moon

Sun, 04 January 2004 21:20

alexdstewart

Chief Warrant Officer 2

Messages: 164
Registered: July 2003
Location: Brisbane, QLD.

Ever seen a marble ball before? It has marks all over it too...

In the Future there is only WAR...
Therefore our extinction is assured, it is just a matter of where and when.

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Re: The Moon

Mon, 05 January 2004 17:39

Hatterson

Warrant Officer
Past Weekly Puzzle Master

Messages: 121
Registered: May 2003
Location: NY, USA

Yes, but before the work of Galileo people thought of the Moon and other celestial objects as "perfect" spheres, both in shape and materail. They believed that the moon was a solid chunk of a material. The different colors (light and dark) were attributed to the sun shining off of the moon in various ways. Not exactly a genious idea if you ask me.

"Don't be so humble - you are not that great. " - Golda Meir (1898-1978) to a visiting diplomat

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Re: The Moon

Thu, 08 January 2004 11:29

Downsider

Crewman 1st Class

Messages: 35
Registered: June 2003
Location: Derbyshire, England

An interesting side effect of this day = year scenario is that only the side facing the earth has Mares (seas). These are lava flows that occured before the Moon "died". The interesting thing is that the earth's gravity had such a strong effect on the magma flow of the Moon that it brought all erruptions to the closest side.
I would also think it quite probable that this side is the denser side of the Moon.

"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent" - Salvor Hardin

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