I created this thread in hopes of discussing a new topic once a week, or however long time permits, in an easy to understand manner. I will focus on mainly astronomy, but will include other fields as well. Feel free to just read or jump in with any thoughts, opinions or questions.

If you have a specific topic you would like me to discuss or one you always wanted to know more about, please make your request and I will cover it as soon as possible.

For our first topic, I decided to go with a question many ask me.

Is the Moon Moving Away From the Earth?

The short answer is yes, the Moon's orbit is indeed moving it away from Earth in a higher orbit by approximately one and a half inches a year.

But why is this happening?

The most logical cause is tidal bulging and the domino effect it has. First, the side of Earth facing the Moon has it's oceans rise due to the gravitational force from the Moon. This gravitational force is extremely strong. By contrast, the side of Earth opposite of the moon has a relative low gravitational force. This discrepancy causes the Earth to stretch, with the bulges referred to as tidal bulges.

The sheer mass of these tidal bulges possess a gravitational force of their own, which in turn pulls on the Moon, speeding it up since the Earth rotates faster than the Moon, while the pull from the Moon causes Earth to slow down. This constant tug of war causes the Earth to transfer energy to the Moon, which in turn gives it a larger orbit.

And the larger orbit is what is causing the Moon to slowly recede from Earth at the rate of around one and a half inches per year.

Going a little more in depth, there are many theories floating around concerning the fate of the Earth and the oceans without the gravitational force from the Moon. I will discuss this at a later time, but a popular theory is once the Moon reaches a certain distance away, more than likely when it's rotation reaches over 40 days as opposed to the 27.3 now, both Earth and the Moon will become tidally locked to each other.

Tidal locking is when one astronomical body always faces another. Our Moon tidally locked to Earth, which means the same side always faces us, hence the term, 'Dark side of the Moon.' But many theorize the Moon and Earth could one day become tidally locked to each other, meaning the same side of Earth would always face the Moon.

While it is more rare for two astronomical bodies to both be tidally locked to one another, it does occur. Pluto and it's moon, Charon, are the best examples of this within our own Solar System. This usually happens when both objects are similar in mass and relatively close together.

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Because the mass of the moon is EVER SO SLIGHTLY greater than the gravitational pull of the earth on it...

We are INCREDIBLY lucky this isn't a mile a year or even greater...It would've been long gone by now...

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"You get the respect that you give" - cnredd

Well, when you think about it, isn't it incredible how this universe is, and that it is so perfectly fine-tuned and can sustain life. Mind-boggling in fact.

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A lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on.
Watt, James

http://honestreporting.com/
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
http://www.idfblog.com/

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Maybe it's our deodorant?

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"You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life."

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A lie can run around the world before the truth can get its boots on.
Watt, James

http://honestreporting.com/
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
http://www.idfblog.com/

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Ok, I've got a stupid question.......


After all of that wonder information and all of the talk about pulling and pushing, how can they measure an inch over a years time with a distance that great.......?


Are they only going from one spot at certain exact orbits or is this done with satellites......?

I have no clue about this stuff but find it fascinating........

Great thread btw........

Great question, Dave. The answer is by a large reflector on the Moon. We can bounce lasers off of it and receive an accurate reading of the distance from Earth to the Moon within less than half an inch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_L...ing_experiment

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Random Quick Fact - When we observe planets and other celestial objects in the universe, we are actually looking into the past.

For example, if you view a distant sun six billion light years away, you are actually seeing it as it was six billion years ago, because that is how long it takes for the light to reach Earth.

This is one of many factors that will make finding life in the universe more complicated. If we found a planet within the Goldilocks zone seven billion light years away that possessed all the tools necessary for life but saw no physical evidence, it would not necessarily mean there is not life there now. It means there was no life seven billion years ago, but could potentially have life now.

For example, if someone on a planet four billion light years away were to observe Earth, there would be no evidence of life, though there would be other methods to determine the existence of life. But simply physically observing our planet would show no signs of life, seeing it would be showing Earth four billion years ago and our planet is only slightly over four and a half billion years old.

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Comet, Love this information.

I hate to be a pest, but I would really love to see you take on science fiction. A lot of us nerds are science fiction junkies and love how there is this boundary pushing relationship between science and science fiction.

Example: The PADD from Star Trek. Look back twenty/twenty-five years ago and you've got Picard reading books on a small portable flat screen computer. That was fiction at the time, but today with nooks and ipads, everyone's doing it.

Can you attribute any specific advances in astronomy to science fiction?

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The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered Eastern peoples to have arms. History teaches that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so.

-- Hitler, April 11 1942

You would prefer hard science fiction regarding novels, which places more emphasis on detail and accuracy.

Hard science fiction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In regards to your last question, there have been many recent breakthroughs in science that could have an effect on books and movies. Take your Star Trek for example with it's warp speed.

Warp drives may come with a killer downside

http://phys.org/news/2012-03-warp-killer-downside.html

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