Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: SunkenCiv
Maybe something catastrophic happened early in the formation of the star's solar system to have those disks orbiting in different directions
13 posted on 06/29/2006 12:48:16 AM PDT by garbageseeker (Gentleman, you can't fight in here, this is the War Room - Dr. Strangelove)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: garbageseeker; Swordmaker

There's also the matter of transfer of momentum through tidal forces; satellites in prograde gain momentum and climb to higher orbit, while satellites in retrograde do the opposite. The parent body's rotation rate slows with prograde satellites and accelerates with retrograde satellites. There's also a tidal transfer from satellite to the parent body, which is one reason (for example) the Earth's Moon shows the same face toward the Earth.


14 posted on 06/29/2006 1:00:57 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (updated my FR profile on Wednesday, June 21, 2006.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson