Why we see only one side of the moon? Artificial setup??

moonwonder · Jul 16, 2005

I got this from a website: The Moon rotates once around its axis in the same amount of time it completes a full orbit of the Earth. In other words, the Moon's rotational period and its orbital period are equal. This is called synchronous rotation. But for me it feel not so nature, rather more artificial when "Moon's rotational period and its orbital period are equal" Think about it! In nature never have 2 things that are identical. There's no such 2 watchs that can run exactly the same. With time they will run slightly different in couple seconds. But the Moon's rotational period and its orbital period are identical for thousands of year still. Is it strange?? Can it be setup and still maintain this way by some source of Intelligent from space? Any one have any answer please help!!

labguy · Jul 16, 2005

One term used is "tidally(sp?) locked". Most solar system moons are the same in relation to thier planets. <blockquote>In reply to:<hr />The asymmetric nature of this gravitational interaction is also responsible for the fact that the Moon rotates synchronously, i.e. it is locked in phase with its orbit so that the same side is always facing toward the Earth. Just as the Earth's rotation is now being slowed by the Moon's influence so in the distant past the Moon's rotation was slowed by the action of the Earth, but in that case the effect was much stronger. When the Moon's rotation rate was slowed to match its orbital period (such that the bulge always faced toward the Earth) there was no longer an off-center torque on the Moon and a stable situation was achieved. The same thing has happened to most of the other satellites in the solar system. Eventually, the Earth's rotation will be slowed to match the Moon's period, too, as is the case with Pluto and Charon.<hr /></blockquote> Just a quote; not "in reply to".

vogon13 · Jul 16, 2005

IIRC, gravity gradient (related effect of tide lock scenario) of earth was used to stabilize orientation of Skylab and the LDEF. So mankind has harnessed this power to his own ends. You may conclude the effect is well understood and in no way mysterious. See how smart you get when you come to Space Dot Com with a good question and an open mind. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!So many people, so few recipes !!Let's clean up this stinkhole !! </div>

najab · Jul 16, 2005

>In nature never have 2 things that are identical.That's not true - crystals for one thing are remarkably regular.The Moon's rotation and revolution periods are the same for a very simple reason: one side of the Moon is 'heavier' than the other. Over time the extra pull on the side facing the Earth (as opposed to the far side) acted to brake the Moon's rotation such that the heavy side always faces 'in'.

JonClarke · Jul 17, 2005

That's a good explanation. Most, if not all moons in the solar system are tidally locked. It;s a very common phenomenon. Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars Arthur Clarke </div>

vogon13 · Jul 17, 2005

And when they are not (Hyperion) or maybe weren't during a crucial period long ago (Iapetus?) we get an opprotunity to learn things. Libration of moon an interesting phenoma too, suspect some of the other solar system moons librate also. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!So many people, so few recipes !!Let's clean up this stinkhole !! </div>

silylene old · Jul 17, 2005

Can it be setup and still maintain this way by some source of Intelligent from space? Another manifestation of 'Intelligent Design'. Get used to it! I suspect we will be hearing a lot more people thinking this way in the next generation as our (US) public school systems increasingly teach this concept. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function. </div> </div>

vogon13 · Jul 17, 2005

Not making this up: Was explaining to a customer how his satellite TV system worked (satellite over equator, radio waves to dish, dish pointed accurately at satellite, wires carry signal to box on top of TV set) and I could tell from look in his eye and incredulous tone that he wasn't buying any of it. Funny world we are living in. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!So many people, so few recipes !!Let's clean up this stinkhole !! </div>

silylene old · Jul 17, 2005

Yep. A recent poll found that a majority of Americans now believe evolution is false, and instead believe in some version of 'creationism' or 'intelligent design'. Another poll recently found that a significant number of Americans actually see 'angels'. I see our failure to educate children on how to think, and allowing a philosophy of 'faith' to replace curiosity and reason, will result in more people people to seek supernatural explanations for anything that might seem puzzling. And because their 'faith' contradicts reason and logic, this will cause them to reject science. Only 17% of Americans now get degrees in science or engineering. It used to be about 35% not that many years ago. In Asian universities, about 40% of students get degrees in science and engineering, and they graduate many more students too. Sorry if I sound dismal when I think about my fellow countrymen. It's just that I repeatedly see people posting here who lack basic science education, and even more concerning, replace rational thought with supernatural explanations or conspiracy theories. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function. </div> </div>

jurgens · Jul 17, 2005

silylene, its because most real scientists dont post here

btw Im a physics major =)

lunatio_gordin · Jul 17, 2005

not to mention all the scientists are leaving this country because of that and the ever harder to get funding and more restrictions. pretty soon there won't be anyone with an IQ over a hundred left.

Saiph · Jul 17, 2005

here's a link to a animated GIF of "lunation", just to show you that we see ~51% of the moon, as it rocks in place... http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap991108.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

pu_aero · Jul 17, 2005

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr /> pretty soon there won't be anyone with an IQ over a hundred left. <hr /></blockquote> Good thing IQ score is based on reference to average intelligence for a given age. Thus, when all the scientists leave, average intelligence goes down, so all the dummies left behind would have higher IQ's and feel better about themselves! Everybody wins! (Except America)

lunatio_gordin · Jul 17, 2005

clearly, i mean the scores that people already have, as opposed to going out and getting new scores after the scientists leave <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" />

vogon13 · Jul 17, 2005

IIRC, wasn't there a controversy just a few years ago that ACT has been slowly 'dumbed down' over last 25 years to keep scores from year to year on par? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!So many people, so few recipes !!Let's clean up this stinkhole !! </div>

chew_on_this · Jul 18, 2005

iirc, intelligence tests need to be recalibrated every 20-25 years. Also, iirc the score one recieved 20 years ago would be lower by current standards.

vogon13 · Jul 18, 2005

My recollection of the event was tenuous. Seem to be encountering higher percentage of 'the dumbed down', than years ago, although I admit my tolerance for such things has declined over the years. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!So many people, so few recipes !!Let's clean up this stinkhole !! </div>

grooble · Jul 18, 2005

Yet 10 year old american girls get MCSE qualifications!

mrmorris · Jul 18, 2005

The MCSE doesn't really make a good standard. A few years back I made a New Year's Resolution to get some certifications. Not for any reason really -- just that my company would pay for tech certifications, so I decided I might as well make use of it to get the max value out of working there. In six months I got MCSE+I, Novell CNE, and Oracle Certified Professional bits of paper with my name on them. Of them only the OCP is truly justifed (I work for Oracle and know the DB inside and out). The rest I just memorized a few facts and regurgitated them as needed come test day. For the most part, I never touched the actual software for which I was certified. I've *never* even seen a running instance of the version of Novell for which I have my CNE. I'm certified in MS SQL Server... never touched it & don't recall a thing about it offhand today. So -- what those certifications mean is very very little. It may mean someone really knows the software... or that they happen to have a pretty good memory. I'm not stupid by any means, but what I passed those tests with wasn't my intelligence, but my ability to memorize facts.

CalliArcale · Jul 18, 2005

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr />Was explaining to a customer how his satellite TV system worked (satellite over equator, radio waves to dish, dish pointed accurately at satellite, wires carry signal to box on top of TV set) and I could tell from look in his eye and incredulous tone that he wasn't buying any of it. <hr /></blockquote> I remember a few years back, when DirectTV was brand new, overhearing a couple of guys talking about cable TV versus satellite. One guy, attempting to sound knowledgable (and impressing his buddy -- obviously they were both clueless), advised his friend not to get DirectTV. He said it's really impractical, because "it's not repeatered, so you have to be within 200 yards of a transmitter". WTF? The transmitter is in geostationary orbit. It's over 30,000 km away. You have a wire running from your dish to your receiver, and from your receiver to your television set. It was obvious the guy had absolutely no clue what he was talking about. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

robnissen · Jul 18, 2005

"It's not repeatered." He may be clueless, but he is the President of the United States. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

astrophoto · Jul 18, 2005

I too found the tidally locked scenario fascinating as a child when I learned about it. I also really wondered about how the moon and Sun and the relative distances form a near-perfect eclipse.

vogon13 · Jul 18, 2005

Mercury with it's 2/3 rotation, revolution is pretty neat too. Lock-up of Io, Europa and Ganymede is fascinating. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!So many people, so few recipes !!Let's clean up this stinkhole !! </div>

CalliArcale · Jul 19, 2005

There's also a curious resonance between Earth and Venus. For years, scientists believed that Venus was tidally locked with the Sun, because whenever they'd look at it with radar (which they could only do at inferior conjunction), it was presenting the same side towards Earth. It was only when they started putting orbiters around it that they learned otherwise. In fact, while it's rotation and revolution are not synchronous, it rotates at such a rate that every time it is in inferior conjunction with Earth, the same face is pointing towards Earth. Weird, huh? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff." -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

le3119 · Jul 21, 2005

There's nothing strange about this. The Moon is said to be in "tidal lock" with the Earth, meaning that the Earth's gravitational tide keeps one side of the Moon locked facing us. Many examples of this abound in the solar system. A great example is Pluto and its companion Charon, they orbit a common center of gravity in tidal lock to each other, or in synchronous rotation. Triton is in near tidal lock with Neptune, although some calculations conclude that it is. The day (period of rotation) on Venus is actually longer than its year (period of orbit around the Sun), it is nearly in tidal lock. So it's not really unusual for our Moon to exhibit an orbital period equal to its rotation with respect to the Earth.

Why we see only one side of the moon? Artificial setup??

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