Subject:
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Re: The Derotatinator
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.geek
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Date:
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Sun, 22 Jun 2003 14:34:51 GMT
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Viewed:
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434 times
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In lugnet.space, Manfred Moolhuysen wrote:
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Could you explane this, please? As you might know, the moon stopped spinning
a long time ago (it’s always showing the same side to earth)
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Almost there, but not quite. The moon does rotate, but it has slowed down to
the point were one lunar day is equal to one lunar year (yes, on the moon, every
day is your birthday). If it had stopped spinning altogether in relation to
Earth, the same surface would always face the sun, not us. That actually would
probably cause a certain amount of internal stress, as the dayside would be
baked by solar radiation while the nightside would be frozen solid. Somewhere
in the middle the heat would have to average out, and that might not be a
stress-free process.
Anyways, I believe the process in question involves a totally different set of
physics. Causing a planetary rotation to come to a complete stop in a very
short period of time would result in a huge amount of global stress, especially
when you factor in the counter-rotating liquid planetary core, and the uneven
surfaces on the interior of the planetary shell. It’s not at all the same thing
as gliding to a stop over a million years or so. Think of how different it
feels between gently slowing down as you approach a stoplight, and slamming on
the brakes to avoid hitting someone who runs in front of your car. A rotating
planet has an incredible amount of inertial energy built up, and if you bring
the rotation to an abrupt halt, that energy has to go somewhere, and there’s
very little chance that it will be a cheerfully pleasant process.
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