logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) (11/10/90)
The thread so far: 17001_1511@uwovax.uwo.ca Phil Stooke writes: >>>This produces stresses and movements in the crust >>>which involve some energy dissipation. Therefore energy is slowly being >>>lost from the system, and that manifests itself as a gradual slowing of the >>>rotation period, until syncronous rotation is reached. logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) writes: >>Okay -- so where does the angular momentum go? It has to be conserved. neufeld@physics.utoronto.ca (Christopher Neufeld) writes: > It goes into orbital angular momentum, boosting the orbit of the moon >(assuming that the moon was originally rotating around an axis parallel, >not anti-parallel to the orbital axis). Our moon is moving away from us >still, as it tries to lock the Earth to face it. Okay, so how is this sub-lunarean friction translated into gains in orbital altitude? What is the mechanism? -- - John Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428 - logajan@ns.network.com, 612-424-4888, Fax 612-424-2853