[net.origins] LIGHTER GRAVITY??????????

jrm@wdl1.UUCP (09/24/85)

	Ted postulates that at some time in the past, the earth orbitted
Saturn and this resulted in a lessening of the "felt effect" of the earth's
gravitational field. Presumably the orbital period and period of rotation
of the earth were the same.
 	HUH????????????????
	TED, a body in orbit about another body (actually, about the common
center of mass- -since Saturn is so much more massive than the earth, this
can be neglected) is in FREE FALL.  That means it is falling towards the
center of mass as fast as the gravitational field of th other body can make it.
If, at a given point, the other body's field will produce an acceleration of
x cm/sec**2, then the orbiting body falls at x cm/sec**2. This is what produces
"weightlessness".
	What this means is that Saturn would have *no* effect on the "felt
effect" of the earth's gravitational field at the surface of the earth.
It is just as strong as it would be if the earth were isolated in the
universe.
	Ted makes reference to tidal effects. I fail to see how tidal effects
can produce the effects he's after.  Feel free to enlighten me on this point.
Also feel free to use physics and mathematics to verify what you say. 
	Arguments such as "the law of gravity has changed since then" or
"gravity does not act the way Newton & Einstein say it does" may be directed
to /dev/null.