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REPORT ABUSIVE REPLY
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Message Subject
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Does the moon rotate?
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Poster Handle
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Astromut |
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Post Content
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circles the earth but does not rotate.
Quoting: mtn_mang If that were the case we would see all sides of it as it orbited us. It does rotate, once per orbit. This condition is known as tidal lock. only moon in our solar system with that characteristic, coincidence??
Quoting: mtnWrong again, most major moons in the solar system have that characteristic, including: Phobos Deimos Metis Adrastea Amalthea Thebe Io Europa Ganymede Callisto Pan Atlas Prometheus Pandora Epimetheus Janus Mimas Enceladus Telesto Tethys Calypso Dione Rhea Titan Iapetus Miranda Ariel Umbriel Titania Oberon Proteus Triton Charon It's a natural consequence of tidal forces. Likewise, the tidal force of the moon on the earth is gradually slowing our rotation. The energy lost from earth's rotation is why the moon's orbit is slowly expanding and getting farther from earth.
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