The Moon - A Passive Luminary or Culprit?

The Moon - A Passive Luminary or Culprit?
　
This discussion is going to examine some of the laws that interact between the earth and the moon that make the relationship what it is. The objective is to demonstrate that what may look to be passive - may also be perilous. But this is not going un-observed as the U of Texas is monitoring progress in association with NASA in a program titled Laser Lunar Ranging using reflectors on the moon placed there by the Apollo 11, 14, and 15 astronauts.

The moon's orbit is governed by a number of laws: 1.) Kepler's laws of planetary motion, 2.) Newton's 1st Law (a body in motion will follow a straight line unless acted upon by an external force) and 3.) earth's gravity that puts the moon in free-fall.

Interacting with these is the law of conservation of angular momentum - it is this law that causes us some concern (see note 1.). Another law sees earthquake changing earth's rotation and initiating exchanges of angular momentum that causes the moon to accelerate and broaden its orbit (see note 2).

Currently the moon's orbit is skewed relative to the ecliptic by some five degrees. This means that the last exchanges of angular momentum were not complete.

When next there is an earthquake of sufficient magnitude to initiate an exchange of angular momentum - that is also of such magnitude to accelerate the moon such that it straightens out its orbit - and is also of such magnitude that the moon over shoots the limits of the exchange - there could be dire consequences

This is not conjecture - it is the law

NOTES

1.) The law of conservation of angular momentum is demonstrated by skaters who use their arms and body to alter spin rate.

2.) ref., Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center) and Dr. Richard Gross (NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.,) and S. K. Runcorn, "Corals as Paleontological Clocks", Scientific American, Vol. 215, No. 4, Pg. 26-33. October 1966. (offprint 871), Pg. 583

More of a romantic than a scientist, I find the moon absolutely fascinating beyond the pale. I am interested in how the moon affects the psyche. I know it affects my mood, from melancholy to joyful. I know some of my most awestruck moments have been on an open highway facing a harvest moon that looks as though it will swallow me, car and all. My most romantic moments with the loves in my life included moonstruck moments, such as the full, icy moon shining on my engagement ring in an open corvette on a mountain top in deep snow, the ring reflecting the moon along with the diamonds in the snow. The moon was a culprit sailing as it drew out the Bahama waters, reducing the dangerously shallow banks to impassable at full moon tides. It was a friend on the black sea, lighting up floating dangers and providing on deck visibility. I even read by the moon once to prove it was possible. The moon was a friend, shining through the hatches when I was alone on the ship, reminding me that I wasn't alone entirely.

I'm waiting for Ahad's take on this.

DK's remarks sparked memories. All good ones.

I hope this thread continues as it is a favorite topic of mine for many reasons.

I love the moon.

My wife Patty and I were driving east along a rural Michigan road. The right-of way was 66 feet. Suddenly the traffic (from both directions) was stopped by an opaque image of the moon sitting on the road.


We didn’t have a camera - we just stared.

In all we estimated the diameter to be something around 120 feet.
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James