Tidal Effects on a Planet and Satellite

This animation shows how the basic effects of tidal interaction between a planet and its satellite. This animations shows the satellite rotation to be tidal locked to its orbit about the planet.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• AStronomy
• Physics
• physical
• science
• tide

[mattb521]

So, the moon isn't rotating itself? It stays facing one direction towards us?

[mrg3]

It IS rotating, it rotates at the same rate it orbits. This is because the squeezing effects of the tide create friction that lock its rotation rate to its orbit.

It is because of this tidal locking that we can only see one side of the moon from earth.  If it didn't rotate at all we'd see a changing face on the moon.

[DarthPickley]

The moon mostly stays in the same rotational rate because of the tidal forces, but it probably didn't become tidally locked because of the tidal forces starting from a different rate of rotation. Mercury isn't tidally locked (although people once thought it was, probably based on the theories for our locked moon). The tidal forces also kept it in its locked position despite the collisions from the many meteorites and other impactors.

[mattb521]

This hurts my head to think about.