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To: #3Fan
It seems that where there are several bodies, moons or planets with some mass and gravity in orbit around a primary, they tend to affect each other's orbits in such a way as to circularize all of them. It might be that one of them is left wildly elliptical and that one gathers up energy and gets flung completely out of the system or sent into the primary itself leaving the rest with quieter orbits. Just like people, older neighborhoods tend to be quieter.
37 posted on 07/29/2003 4:48:08 PM PDT by RightWhale (Destroy the dark; restore the light)
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To: RightWhale
There is one way to make a moon in a circular orbit that I have never seen mentioned in the astrophysics books. You could call it "Roche lifting". Whenever two massive bodies pass within the Roche limit (about 3 radii) of one another, the more massive one will tidally disrupt the less massive body.

The same effect that causes comets to break up as they pass Jupiter could lift the crust from a planet to form a moon, without a direct impact between the two bodies.

Of course, if the bodies pass too close, the less massive one becomes an asteroid belt.

40 posted on 07/29/2003 6:33:56 PM PDT by e_engineer
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To: RightWhale
It seems that where there are several bodies, moons or planets with some mass and gravity in orbit around a primary, they tend to affect each other's orbits in such a way as to circularize all of them. It might be that one of them is left wildly elliptical and that one gathers up energy and gets flung completely out of the system or sent into the primary itself leaving the rest with quieter orbits. Just like people, older neighborhoods tend to be quieter.

Yeah, you're right. I don't think we understand much about about the rotation and orbits of planets. Just looking at the earth science says that our magnetic field is created by the iron core spinning faster than the mantle. If so why does magnetic North wander so unevenly around. There appears to be more than just momentum, angular momentum, and mass involved on the orbits and rotation of planets. It could be that our planet rotates in equilibrium. Maybe the electromagnetism from the sun rotatates our core so that it's force versus the friction of the oceans and the liquid parts of the mantle create a 24 hour day, unable to speed up because of the friction of the liquids mentioned, and unable to slow down because of the electromagnetism of our core and/or the sun. Then there's the spiralness of galaxies and Saturn's rings. Doesn't make sense if there is just gravitation and momentum involved. Just too many inconsistencies for me to accept mainstream sciences explanations for the movement of plantary bodies. I spent the last day looking into some theories but it's just too broadbased to try to make a point on. :^)

45 posted on 07/31/2003 10:39:01 AM PDT by #3Fan
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