Meteor

[_Simon_]

<p>I have a question that popped up while playing Civilization 4. (yes i love those games, sue me) =)</p><p>Anyways, when a meteor or asteroid hits the earth does it affect the earth&acute;s rotationspeed? I mean, if it&acute;s coming from the right angle then the momentum should in fact contribute to the earth spinning faster and the days shortening. </p><p>I want to thank everyone here for taking your time to answer all these great questions. I&acute;ve had spent many hours just reading different posts and I am never disapointed with the answers.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>//Simon </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[MeteorWayne]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I have a question that popped up while playing Civilization 4. (yes i love those games, sue me) =)Anyways, when a meteor or asteroid hits the earth does it affect the earth&acute;s rotationspeed? I mean, if it&acute;s coming from the right angle then the momentum should in fact contribute to the earth spinning faster and the days shortening. I want to thank everyone here for taking your time to answer all these great questions. I&acute;ve had spent many hours just reading different posts and I am never disapointed with the answers.&nbsp;//Simon &nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Posted by _Simon_</DIV><br /><br />The quick answer is technically yes. However even with impacts as large as the dinosaur killer in Chixalub 65 million years ago, the change would be too small to notice. Certainly it couldn't have been measured back then . Since we now keep very precise records, an impact that size might be measurable, if there was anyone left to mesure it. After all, the December 2004 earthquake in Sumatra made a tiny change to the earth's rotation rate ( something around a few nanoseconds a day, IIRC) due to the mass that was shifted. Not noticeable by humans, but instrumentally measureable.The last one large enough to have that large an effect was most likely the impact that created the moon from the blasted off material.</p><p>Any life on earth at that time was sterilized out of existance.</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[weeman]

Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>I have a question that popped up while playing Civilization 4. (yes i love those games, sue me) =)Anyways, when a meteor or asteroid hits the earth does it affect the earth&acute;s rotationspeed? I mean, if it&acute;s coming from the right angle then the momentum should in fact contribute to the earth spinning faster and the days shortening. I want to thank everyone here for taking your time to answer all these great questions. I&acute;ve had spent many hours just reading different posts and I am never disapointed with the answers.&nbsp;//Simon &nbsp;&nbsp; <br />Posted by _Simon_</DIV><br /><br />It depends on how big of a meteor/asteroid you are talking about. Earth's rotation is actually slowing down on its own. After doing some research, the most widely&nbsp;accepted estimate&nbsp;seems to be&nbsp;that&nbsp;a solar day on Earth has slowed by about 6.5 hours since its creation, 4.5 billion years ago. &nbsp; <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><strong><font color="#ff0000">Techies: We do it in the dark. </font></strong></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>"Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.</strong><strong>" -Albert Einstein </strong></font></p> </div>

 

[skeptic]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>It depends on how big of a meteor/asteroid you are talking about. Earth's rotation is actually slowing down on its own. After doing some research, the most widely&nbsp;accepted estimate&nbsp;seems to be&nbsp;that&nbsp;a solar day on Earth has slowed by about 6.5 hours since its creation, 4.5 billion years ago. &nbsp; <br /> Posted by weeman</DIV></p><p>It's worth noting that one of the presidential candidates proposed using various energy sources including tidal power which extracts energy from the rotation of the earth. Of course the moon is already slowing the rotation of the earth and the additional drag of extracting tidal energy would hardly be noticeable, unless it were done on a global scale for a long enough time.&nbsp; Unfortunately it's a lot easier to extract energy from the rotation of the earth than it is to put it back. </p>

 

[_Simon_]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>It's worth noting that one of the presidential candidates proposed using various energy sources including tidal power which extracts energy from the rotation of the earth. Of course the moon is already slowing the rotation of the earth and the additional drag of extracting tidal energy would hardly be noticeable, unless it were done on a global scale for a long enough time.&nbsp; Unfortunately it's a lot easier to extract energy from the rotation of the earth than it is to put it back. <br /> Posted by skeptic</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Is there a way to put it back? even in theory? </p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[hewes]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>&nbsp;Is there a way to put it back? even in theory? <br />Posted by _Simon_</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;Step 1: Give everyone on the planet a compass and a pair of golf shoes...<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>