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Keraunos adjusted the article to read that the name is "Luna", not "Moon". This matter has been discussed several times in the past (see the archives 1, 2 and, in particular, 4), and the consensus has always been a firm bias to "Moon". I have reverted this change for now, and invite Keraunos to produce the references that back the assertions he wishes to place in this article. (In my opinion, reflected by the previous discussion, he has a very steep slope to climb: to my knowledge, there is no significant body of English scientific literature on the Moon that refers to it as "Luna", and outside of some Robert Heinlein (and others) fiction, the occurrence in common English is far below the noise floor.) mdf 15:46, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
It's a strange thing. I would say Earth's only visible moon, to the naked eye that is, is un-named. Many would argue it's called Luna, but that's the Latin for the word moon. And as "moon" is given as a word for NS's (Natural Satellites) one could conclude "The Moon" is nameless. But, "Moon" could be the name for our NS, as it was given before we knew of the other NS's orbiting other planets. So using moon as a word for NS's could be incorrect.
See below as the other orbiting bodies are satellites and the moon may be a double planet, perhaps it does have a name... moon.
This is obviously a semantic problem. By convention, if “Moon” is capitalized it is a Proper Noun or name of an explicit thing, and “moon” is a generic or common noun referring to all such satellites . The reason moon, sun and water table are not capitalized more frequently is that in that in most contexts writers and readers will be ignoring the suns, moons and water tables of other planets, so it is regarded as pedantic to insist on capitalization. In brief, capitalization is employed where one needs to indicate that the item in question is a particular thing and not a category of things. One could argue that “opera house” should be capitalized because it signifies a particular sort of house, but if we were to take that line, we would end up capitalizing virtually all nouns, like the Germans do. Luna is a lovely and poetic name, but it is not widely known, and as such to include it would confuse readers, which is not the purpose of a general encyclopaedia. Most people around the world are not science fiction devotees or particularly interested in astronomy. To them, the Moon is that glowing orb seen at night, and it is of little consequence to them that is an example of other such moons around unseen planets. Myles325a 06:45, 10 October 2007 (UTC)
My opinion (which I one day believed to be the general scientific view, but I got lost along the way) is the following: a non-manmade object that revolves around a planet is called a natural satellite. Planet Earth (capitalised, since there is only one) has one natural satellite: (the) Moon. Stricltly speaking, there is no other object in the universe called Moon or moon. However, many people choose to use moon as a synonym for natural satellite. Nick Mks 07:16, 10 October 2007 (UTC)
I also find it weird to say the Earth's only satellite has no proper name. We called it moon long before we know other satellites of other planets. We just eventually use moon as a common name for any natural satellite, and satellite is now more commonly referred to artificial satellite. See also the explanation from NASA http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/qa_earth.html#moonname . ppa ( talk) 08:23, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
The section "5 Orbit and relationship to Earth" discusses the double planet issue is a dismisive way, mentioning only why it may not be a double planet, without any explanation of why the controversy exists. This is unfair.
The moon is gravitationally attracted to the sun more than it is attracted to the earth. The moon is drifting away from the earth every year.
There is no mention of Issac Asimov's artile on "why is the moon so far out there" A link to the wikipedia double planet should be provided. 198.103.184.76 15:53, 28 August 2007 (UTC)c. priest 198.103.184.76 15:53, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
The introduction cites reference [2] as stating the recession rate is 3.8 cm/yr, and the section entitled "Orbit and relationship to Earth" cited reference [41] as stating the recession rate is 4 metres per century. Since both references have the 3.8 number (and one is more specific--3.84) and not the 4 number, I changed "4 m" to "3.8 m" for the sake of internal consistency.
Also, since both reference [2] and [41] were only used for the recession information, I decided to eliminate them and replace them with a better reference, so now [2] and [41] are the same. Is there a way to change that or does Wikipedia always number references sequentially even if they are the same source? In other words, is it just the way Wikipedia works that one could have a reference section with the same reference listed 50 times? Redhookesb 06:43, 31 May 2007 (UTC)
The article is missing a reference to Helium3...
Some background info on He3 in the moon can be found on the Horizon pages of the bbc: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/broadband/tx/moonsale/
The first lunar eclipse I saw as an adult, I was expecting to see the curve of the Earth move across the Moon, and that simply did not happen. The whole thing was much more shadowy. And, on thinking it over, it occurred to me, if we’re going to expect earlier peoples to have figured out that the Earth was a sphere, it was not going to be from this line of evidence! (And yes, the Moon was kind of reddish or orangish, but I wouldn’t exactly call it blood red.)
Please look at our picture of the March ’07 lunar eclipse, there’s not really much of a curve at all.
Now, our article does not claim a curve, but this might be enough of a common misconception to be worth including and discussing. And we might also want to jazz up our “Human understanding” section. I mean, was Anaxagoras really the first to have a early scientific understanding? How about the Hindus and/or the Native Americans? Or the people who built Stonehenge in England, yeah, they may have believed a bunch of mystical stuff, but they may have also had a pretty good understanding of how Sun, Earth, and Moon interacted. FriendlyRiverOtter 09:42, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
This is just a "heads-up" to keep tabs on 6R10DB9, a temporary satellite of Earth [2] -- which if it proves to be a small asteroid (rather than moon-mission junk) may warrant at least a footnote in this article. — Eoghanacht talk 15:30, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
The formatting on the gravity entry in the table on the right is... tricky. At first glance, it looks like there is no entry for gravity and the Equatorial Surface is its own category. As this is not directly editable, I could not fix it myself. Perhaps the table needs to be widened? Superdupergc 20:16, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
I have a few questions: Shaunthinks93 18:49, 1 July 2007 (UTC) 1. If craters are caused by asteroids or comets, how can there be craters on the side of the moon that is always facing the Earth?
2. Why when scanners, monitors, detectors are dropped on to the moon, does it clang as though being struck like a bell, this must mean it is hollow. On this website there is a section that shows the layers of the moon, how can there be all those layers if the moon is hollow?
3. This isnt a question, but, if the moon is actually a spaceship, and we are an expiriment, a kind of TV show, if you like, this would explain why there are craters on the front of the Moon: these are created when that spaceship was travelling through the universe to get here. also the Hollow clanging would be caused by the inside of the spaceship, where it is controlledand the aliens habitate.
People always think of aliens from other planets, solar systems, and galaxies, but never think of the one thing that is right next to us, always there, always patrolling, checking and we never even thought about that possibility... So just think about it, all the possibilities that there could be of the moon.
Shaunthinks93 18:49, 1 July 2007 (UTC)shaunthinks93
Some additional comments on points 1,2,3 above.
How much would a privately funded moon mission cost and who are the likely backers —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.125.110.223 ( talk) 17:20, August 30, 2007 (UTC)
I find a different answer from what our article says, and an answer from a seemingly good website, and one that seemingly makes sense. “This synchronous rotation is caused by an unsymmetrical distribution of mass in the Moon, which has allowed Earth's gravity to keep one lunar hemisphere permanently turned toward Earth” [3] .
Our article says, “Early in the Moon's history, its rotation slowed and became locked in this configuration as a result of frictional effects associated with tidal deformations caused by the Earth.[6]”
Now, perhaps both could be contributing causes. Please help with this if you can. FriendlyRiverOtter 19:08, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
WILL the moon get lop sided over time? due to centrifugal force —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.125.110.223 ( talk)
The moon isn't exactly in tidal lock: it librates around the equilibrium, torqued by forces other than the Earth's point-mass potential. The moon is also not symmetric in its shape, as a result of the tidal forcing. Hence we can see 59% of the surface. For a better discussion, see tidal locking or any standard intro. astronomy text. Further discussion here is not appropriate. Michaelbusch 08:27, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
If the equatorial radius is correct at 1,738.14 km, wouldn't the equatorial circumference be 10,921 km, not 10,916 km? 10,916 would appear to be based on a 1,737.4 figure for the equatorial circumference which various references give. I know the moon's not a perfect geometric shape, so I can't assume that 2πr necessarily holds in this case, but the source for 10,916 km does use the 1,737.4 figure (×πr = 10,916.4)...-- Father Goose 07:51, 13 July 2007 (UTC)
Some people are consistent to believe that "The Great Wall of China" is the only man-made object visible from The Moon. However, if I, or you were to be standing on the moon right now, and took a glance over to where Earth is, you would just about be able to make out the continents.
The moon is over 400,000 km away, seeing anything man-made on the earth, with the naked eye, would be almost impossible (but the object would have to be rather large, as in, starting on Earth, then leaving it. If such a thing could be made, think of an elevator "into space") Many confuse it with 'space'. 'Space' starts about 100km from the surface, and quite a lot can be seen from here. Things like motorways (highways), ships on the sea, cities and even a few individual buildings. Of corase the further out into space you go, the less you'll be able to see. Jamiepgs 15:56, 16 July 2007 (UTC)
I haven't been here in a while, and was surprised to see that there is now a section "Etymology". While this might help clarify these idiotic Luna-Moon discussions, the description appears to be incorrect. In particular, is it not true that the generic name "moon" is based upon the proper name "Moon" of Earth's natural satellite? Wasn't the Moon discovered and named before the other "moons" of our solar system? When people gave the name "Moon" to our natural satellite, did they do so with the knowledge that other "moons" existed, and hence that the name was generic and not proper?
Thus, I propose changing this sentence
to (or something similar)
oh my gosh, how did all those linked solo years get by FAC [6]? And there are month-year combos incorrectly linked as well. Solo years need not be linked, per WP:CONTEXT, WP:MOSLINK. Delinking them all will take forever; can someone help? They're even linked in the refs. Also, there are See also templates at the bottom of sections; per WP:LAYOUT they should be at the top. And portals belong in See also, per WP:LAYOUT. Also, there are spaced emdashes throughout the text, against WP:DASH. Normally I run through and correct these things before mainpage, but there's more work here than I'm accustomed to. SandyGeorgia ( Talk) 22:21, 17 August 2007 (UTC)
i have taken this part out from eclipse section as that information is irrelvant to moon The next solar eclipse takes place on September 11, 2007, visible from southern South America and parts of Antarctica.The next total solar eclipse, on August 1, 2008, will have a path of totality beginning in northern Canada and passing through Russia and China. [1] if i have done wrong I am sorry please put it back
Nice work folks :) Kidshare 07:37, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
How how in the world did the whole "moon is made of green cheese" saying start? -- 24.249.108.133 06:25, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
It's not the centripetal force that generates tides. It's the gravitational differential between the centre of the earth or moon and its surface. The side of the earth facing the moon is pulled more strongly than the centre, causing a hump in the water on that side. Less obviously, the side away from the moon is pulled less strongly than the centre, so the water is "left behind" as the body of the earth is pulled out from underneath. The effect would exist in the absense of rotation. A similar tidal effect is felt on the moon, which is:
-- King Hildebrand 19:01, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
“ | Ocean tides are initiated by the tidal force of Moon’s gravity and are magnified by a host of effects in Earth’s oceans. The gravitational tidal force arises because the side of Earth facing the Moon (nearest it) is attracted more strongly by the Moon’s gravity than is the center of the Earth and—even less so—the Earth’s far side. The gravitational tide stretches the Earth’s oceans into an ellipse—with the Earth in the center. The effect takes the form of two bulges—elevated sea level—relative to the Earth: one nearest the Moon and one farthest from it. Since these two bulges rotate around the Earth once a day as it spins on its axis, ocean water is continuously rushing towards the ever-moving bulges. The effects of the two bulges and the massive ocean currents chasing them are magnified by an interplay of other effects; namely frictional coupling of water to Earth’s rotation through the ocean floors, inertia of water’s movement, ocean basins that get shallower near land, and oscillations between different ocean basins. The magnifying effect is a bit like water sloshing high up the sloped end of a bathtub after a relatively small disturbance of one’s body in the deep part of the tub. | ” |
It is well known that the moon is much brighter when it is full, i.e. when the earth is almost between it and the sun.
The bright areas of the moon's surface exhibit
retroreflection due to the
opposition effect, like those
projection screens that are coated with small glass beads. This causes the changes of
albedo with phase of the moon.
Retroreflection This effect causes the halo round the shadow of the astronaut's head reflected in his visor in the well known moon-walk photograph of Aldrin (in the Article), and acts as a fill-in light for the shadow side of objects & people on the moon.
Should not this be mentioned? Has moon dust been shown to be retroreflective? -- GilesW 07:34, 30 August 2007 (UTC)
![]() | This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 | ← | Archive 5 | Archive 6 | Archive 7 | Archive 8 | Archive 9 | Archive 10 |
Keraunos adjusted the article to read that the name is "Luna", not "Moon". This matter has been discussed several times in the past (see the archives 1, 2 and, in particular, 4), and the consensus has always been a firm bias to "Moon". I have reverted this change for now, and invite Keraunos to produce the references that back the assertions he wishes to place in this article. (In my opinion, reflected by the previous discussion, he has a very steep slope to climb: to my knowledge, there is no significant body of English scientific literature on the Moon that refers to it as "Luna", and outside of some Robert Heinlein (and others) fiction, the occurrence in common English is far below the noise floor.) mdf 15:46, 9 May 2007 (UTC)
It's a strange thing. I would say Earth's only visible moon, to the naked eye that is, is un-named. Many would argue it's called Luna, but that's the Latin for the word moon. And as "moon" is given as a word for NS's (Natural Satellites) one could conclude "The Moon" is nameless. But, "Moon" could be the name for our NS, as it was given before we knew of the other NS's orbiting other planets. So using moon as a word for NS's could be incorrect.
See below as the other orbiting bodies are satellites and the moon may be a double planet, perhaps it does have a name... moon.
This is obviously a semantic problem. By convention, if “Moon” is capitalized it is a Proper Noun or name of an explicit thing, and “moon” is a generic or common noun referring to all such satellites . The reason moon, sun and water table are not capitalized more frequently is that in that in most contexts writers and readers will be ignoring the suns, moons and water tables of other planets, so it is regarded as pedantic to insist on capitalization. In brief, capitalization is employed where one needs to indicate that the item in question is a particular thing and not a category of things. One could argue that “opera house” should be capitalized because it signifies a particular sort of house, but if we were to take that line, we would end up capitalizing virtually all nouns, like the Germans do. Luna is a lovely and poetic name, but it is not widely known, and as such to include it would confuse readers, which is not the purpose of a general encyclopaedia. Most people around the world are not science fiction devotees or particularly interested in astronomy. To them, the Moon is that glowing orb seen at night, and it is of little consequence to them that is an example of other such moons around unseen planets. Myles325a 06:45, 10 October 2007 (UTC)
My opinion (which I one day believed to be the general scientific view, but I got lost along the way) is the following: a non-manmade object that revolves around a planet is called a natural satellite. Planet Earth (capitalised, since there is only one) has one natural satellite: (the) Moon. Stricltly speaking, there is no other object in the universe called Moon or moon. However, many people choose to use moon as a synonym for natural satellite. Nick Mks 07:16, 10 October 2007 (UTC)
I also find it weird to say the Earth's only satellite has no proper name. We called it moon long before we know other satellites of other planets. We just eventually use moon as a common name for any natural satellite, and satellite is now more commonly referred to artificial satellite. See also the explanation from NASA http://helios.gsfc.nasa.gov/qa_earth.html#moonname . ppa ( talk) 08:23, 27 January 2008 (UTC)
The section "5 Orbit and relationship to Earth" discusses the double planet issue is a dismisive way, mentioning only why it may not be a double planet, without any explanation of why the controversy exists. This is unfair.
The moon is gravitationally attracted to the sun more than it is attracted to the earth. The moon is drifting away from the earth every year.
There is no mention of Issac Asimov's artile on "why is the moon so far out there" A link to the wikipedia double planet should be provided. 198.103.184.76 15:53, 28 August 2007 (UTC)c. priest 198.103.184.76 15:53, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
The introduction cites reference [2] as stating the recession rate is 3.8 cm/yr, and the section entitled "Orbit and relationship to Earth" cited reference [41] as stating the recession rate is 4 metres per century. Since both references have the 3.8 number (and one is more specific--3.84) and not the 4 number, I changed "4 m" to "3.8 m" for the sake of internal consistency.
Also, since both reference [2] and [41] were only used for the recession information, I decided to eliminate them and replace them with a better reference, so now [2] and [41] are the same. Is there a way to change that or does Wikipedia always number references sequentially even if they are the same source? In other words, is it just the way Wikipedia works that one could have a reference section with the same reference listed 50 times? Redhookesb 06:43, 31 May 2007 (UTC)
The article is missing a reference to Helium3...
Some background info on He3 in the moon can be found on the Horizon pages of the bbc: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/broadband/tx/moonsale/
The first lunar eclipse I saw as an adult, I was expecting to see the curve of the Earth move across the Moon, and that simply did not happen. The whole thing was much more shadowy. And, on thinking it over, it occurred to me, if we’re going to expect earlier peoples to have figured out that the Earth was a sphere, it was not going to be from this line of evidence! (And yes, the Moon was kind of reddish or orangish, but I wouldn’t exactly call it blood red.)
Please look at our picture of the March ’07 lunar eclipse, there’s not really much of a curve at all.
Now, our article does not claim a curve, but this might be enough of a common misconception to be worth including and discussing. And we might also want to jazz up our “Human understanding” section. I mean, was Anaxagoras really the first to have a early scientific understanding? How about the Hindus and/or the Native Americans? Or the people who built Stonehenge in England, yeah, they may have believed a bunch of mystical stuff, but they may have also had a pretty good understanding of how Sun, Earth, and Moon interacted. FriendlyRiverOtter 09:42, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
This is just a "heads-up" to keep tabs on 6R10DB9, a temporary satellite of Earth [2] -- which if it proves to be a small asteroid (rather than moon-mission junk) may warrant at least a footnote in this article. — Eoghanacht talk 15:30, 25 June 2007 (UTC)
The formatting on the gravity entry in the table on the right is... tricky. At first glance, it looks like there is no entry for gravity and the Equatorial Surface is its own category. As this is not directly editable, I could not fix it myself. Perhaps the table needs to be widened? Superdupergc 20:16, 26 June 2007 (UTC)
I have a few questions: Shaunthinks93 18:49, 1 July 2007 (UTC) 1. If craters are caused by asteroids or comets, how can there be craters on the side of the moon that is always facing the Earth?
2. Why when scanners, monitors, detectors are dropped on to the moon, does it clang as though being struck like a bell, this must mean it is hollow. On this website there is a section that shows the layers of the moon, how can there be all those layers if the moon is hollow?
3. This isnt a question, but, if the moon is actually a spaceship, and we are an expiriment, a kind of TV show, if you like, this would explain why there are craters on the front of the Moon: these are created when that spaceship was travelling through the universe to get here. also the Hollow clanging would be caused by the inside of the spaceship, where it is controlledand the aliens habitate.
People always think of aliens from other planets, solar systems, and galaxies, but never think of the one thing that is right next to us, always there, always patrolling, checking and we never even thought about that possibility... So just think about it, all the possibilities that there could be of the moon.
Shaunthinks93 18:49, 1 July 2007 (UTC)shaunthinks93
Some additional comments on points 1,2,3 above.
How much would a privately funded moon mission cost and who are the likely backers —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.125.110.223 ( talk) 17:20, August 30, 2007 (UTC)
I find a different answer from what our article says, and an answer from a seemingly good website, and one that seemingly makes sense. “This synchronous rotation is caused by an unsymmetrical distribution of mass in the Moon, which has allowed Earth's gravity to keep one lunar hemisphere permanently turned toward Earth” [3] .
Our article says, “Early in the Moon's history, its rotation slowed and became locked in this configuration as a result of frictional effects associated with tidal deformations caused by the Earth.[6]”
Now, perhaps both could be contributing causes. Please help with this if you can. FriendlyRiverOtter 19:08, 2 July 2007 (UTC)
WILL the moon get lop sided over time? due to centrifugal force —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.125.110.223 ( talk)
The moon isn't exactly in tidal lock: it librates around the equilibrium, torqued by forces other than the Earth's point-mass potential. The moon is also not symmetric in its shape, as a result of the tidal forcing. Hence we can see 59% of the surface. For a better discussion, see tidal locking or any standard intro. astronomy text. Further discussion here is not appropriate. Michaelbusch 08:27, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
If the equatorial radius is correct at 1,738.14 km, wouldn't the equatorial circumference be 10,921 km, not 10,916 km? 10,916 would appear to be based on a 1,737.4 figure for the equatorial circumference which various references give. I know the moon's not a perfect geometric shape, so I can't assume that 2πr necessarily holds in this case, but the source for 10,916 km does use the 1,737.4 figure (×πr = 10,916.4)...-- Father Goose 07:51, 13 July 2007 (UTC)
Some people are consistent to believe that "The Great Wall of China" is the only man-made object visible from The Moon. However, if I, or you were to be standing on the moon right now, and took a glance over to where Earth is, you would just about be able to make out the continents.
The moon is over 400,000 km away, seeing anything man-made on the earth, with the naked eye, would be almost impossible (but the object would have to be rather large, as in, starting on Earth, then leaving it. If such a thing could be made, think of an elevator "into space") Many confuse it with 'space'. 'Space' starts about 100km from the surface, and quite a lot can be seen from here. Things like motorways (highways), ships on the sea, cities and even a few individual buildings. Of corase the further out into space you go, the less you'll be able to see. Jamiepgs 15:56, 16 July 2007 (UTC)
I haven't been here in a while, and was surprised to see that there is now a section "Etymology". While this might help clarify these idiotic Luna-Moon discussions, the description appears to be incorrect. In particular, is it not true that the generic name "moon" is based upon the proper name "Moon" of Earth's natural satellite? Wasn't the Moon discovered and named before the other "moons" of our solar system? When people gave the name "Moon" to our natural satellite, did they do so with the knowledge that other "moons" existed, and hence that the name was generic and not proper?
Thus, I propose changing this sentence
to (or something similar)
oh my gosh, how did all those linked solo years get by FAC [6]? And there are month-year combos incorrectly linked as well. Solo years need not be linked, per WP:CONTEXT, WP:MOSLINK. Delinking them all will take forever; can someone help? They're even linked in the refs. Also, there are See also templates at the bottom of sections; per WP:LAYOUT they should be at the top. And portals belong in See also, per WP:LAYOUT. Also, there are spaced emdashes throughout the text, against WP:DASH. Normally I run through and correct these things before mainpage, but there's more work here than I'm accustomed to. SandyGeorgia ( Talk) 22:21, 17 August 2007 (UTC)
i have taken this part out from eclipse section as that information is irrelvant to moon The next solar eclipse takes place on September 11, 2007, visible from southern South America and parts of Antarctica.The next total solar eclipse, on August 1, 2008, will have a path of totality beginning in northern Canada and passing through Russia and China. [1] if i have done wrong I am sorry please put it back
Nice work folks :) Kidshare 07:37, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
How how in the world did the whole "moon is made of green cheese" saying start? -- 24.249.108.133 06:25, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
It's not the centripetal force that generates tides. It's the gravitational differential between the centre of the earth or moon and its surface. The side of the earth facing the moon is pulled more strongly than the centre, causing a hump in the water on that side. Less obviously, the side away from the moon is pulled less strongly than the centre, so the water is "left behind" as the body of the earth is pulled out from underneath. The effect would exist in the absense of rotation. A similar tidal effect is felt on the moon, which is:
-- King Hildebrand 19:01, 29 August 2007 (UTC)
“ | Ocean tides are initiated by the tidal force of Moon’s gravity and are magnified by a host of effects in Earth’s oceans. The gravitational tidal force arises because the side of Earth facing the Moon (nearest it) is attracted more strongly by the Moon’s gravity than is the center of the Earth and—even less so—the Earth’s far side. The gravitational tide stretches the Earth’s oceans into an ellipse—with the Earth in the center. The effect takes the form of two bulges—elevated sea level—relative to the Earth: one nearest the Moon and one farthest from it. Since these two bulges rotate around the Earth once a day as it spins on its axis, ocean water is continuously rushing towards the ever-moving bulges. The effects of the two bulges and the massive ocean currents chasing them are magnified by an interplay of other effects; namely frictional coupling of water to Earth’s rotation through the ocean floors, inertia of water’s movement, ocean basins that get shallower near land, and oscillations between different ocean basins. The magnifying effect is a bit like water sloshing high up the sloped end of a bathtub after a relatively small disturbance of one’s body in the deep part of the tub. | ” |
It is well known that the moon is much brighter when it is full, i.e. when the earth is almost between it and the sun.
The bright areas of the moon's surface exhibit
retroreflection due to the
opposition effect, like those
projection screens that are coated with small glass beads. This causes the changes of
albedo with phase of the moon.
Retroreflection This effect causes the halo round the shadow of the astronaut's head reflected in his visor in the well known moon-walk photograph of Aldrin (in the Article), and acts as a fill-in light for the shadow side of objects & people on the moon.
Should not this be mentioned? Has moon dust been shown to be retroreflective? -- GilesW 07:34, 30 August 2007 (UTC)