Tag Archives: Solar System: Moons

The Tides of Mont-Saint-Michel

As many know, the Moon causes the tides to occur all over our planet. But those same people may not know the place that has the largest change in high and low tides. Said place is an islet and commune called Mont-Saint-Michel. Off the coast of Normandy, France, it has an accessible walkway to itsContinue reading “The Tides of Mont-Saint-Michel” Continue reading

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The Disappearing Road

Tides are produced by the difference in the gravitational force of the Moon on the near and far side of Earth; this force causes tidal bulges on the side of Earth facing the Moon and the side of Earth opposite the Moon. During Earth’s rotation, high tides happen when a place goes through the tidalContinue reading “The Disappearing Road” Continue reading

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Ancient Interpretation of Solar Eclipses

In ancient Iraq, it was believed that a solar eclipse meant something awful was going to happen to the king or ruler. Ancient Mesopotamian astronomers could accurately determine when an eclipse would occur. When a solar eclipse was projected to happen, the court and priests would prepare for this event by planting a substitute kingContinue reading “Ancient Interpretation of Solar Eclipses” Continue reading

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How do we name our Solar System?

We all remember learning the mnemonic device in elementary school: My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Noodles (or whatever variation you prefer). Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, the eight planets of our solar system. But what do these names actually mean? How do planets and moons and other stuff inContinue reading “How do we name our Solar System?” Continue reading

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The Moon’s Tug

Three weeks ago, for my Earth System Dynamics course, I listened to a Radiolab podcast about the distance between the Earth and the Moon. In “The Times They Are a Changin’” paleontologists talk about how coral shells taught us that the Earth used to have shorter days. Their shells have tiny bands, an alternating patternContinue reading “The Moon’s Tug” Continue reading

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Interesting tides

Tides are caused by differences in magnitude between th继续阅读“Interesting tides” Continue reading

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When the Moon turns red

Unlike the usual Moon, during a total lunar eclipse, th继续阅读“When the Moon turns red” Continue reading

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The Dark Side of the Moon?

The Moon is tidally locked to the Earth, which means that we always see the same side of the Moon. People have come to call the side of the moon that we do not see the “dark side” of the Moon, as they think that this side never sees the sun and that the Moon’s […] Continue reading

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Enceladus

Enceladus is a medium-size moon of Saturn, with a diameter of about 500 km. Its surface temperature is quite chilly, ranging between 32.9 K (-240 degrees Celsius) and 145 K (-128 degrees Celsius); this is partially because of its distance from the Sun, and also because of its highly reflective surface. The entire moon is … Continue reading Enceladus Continue reading

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Tidal Locking

The only kind of lock in space with no key. Tidal locking is when one hemisphere of a revolving body constantly faces the object it rotates around, or as wikipedia says more jargon-y,  “when the long-term interaction between a pair of co-orbiting astronomical bodiesdrives the rotation rates into a harmonic ratio with the orbital period. In the figure … Continue reading Tidal Locking Continue reading

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