Velocity of Earth Around Sun: Recent Claims & Calculations

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    Earth Velocity
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SUMMARY

The Earth’s rotation is slowing down due to tidal friction caused by gravitational interactions with the Moon. This friction leads to a transfer of rotational energy from the Earth to the Moon, causing the Moon to gradually move to a higher orbit. Kepler's laws of motion confirm that the speed of an orbiting body is not constant, as planets sweep out equal areas in equal times. Recent discussions emphasize the distinction between velocity and speed, clarifying that the Earth's rotation rate is decreasing while its orbital dynamics remain complex.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Kepler's laws of motion
  • Knowledge of tidal friction and its effects on celestial bodies
  • Familiarity with concepts of angular velocity and orbital mechanics
  • Basic grasp of gravitational interactions between celestial bodies
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of tidal friction on Earth's rotation and the Moon's orbit
  • Study Kepler's laws of planetary motion in detail
  • Explore the concept of tidal locking and its examples in the solar system
  • Investigate the long-term effects of Earth's slowing rotation on its environment and life
USEFUL FOR

Astronomers, astrophysicists, educators, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of Earth-Moon interactions and their implications on planetary motion.

  • #31
lazypast said:
im just curious, D H said something about the rate of radius increase to be the same as that of 1bn year ago.
I said nothing of the sort. :mad:

I said exactly the opposite:
D H said:
Actually, the slowing of the Earth's rotation rate has increased in the recent past (recent being relative to the 4.6 billion year age of the Earth).

What kind of evidence do we have of this? Fossil records indicate the Earth-Moon distance was 96.5% of its present value 620 million years ago. Averaged over that 620 million year period, this corresponds to a mean recession rate of about 2.2 cm/yr, which is considerably less than the current rate of 3.82±0.07 cm/yr. Records in the rocks take us back even further. The Earth-Moon distance was 90.6% of its present value 2.45 billion years ago. This corresponds to an even smaller recession rate of about 1.5 cm/yr on average for the last 2.45 billion years. We can go even further back in time. The rocks returned by the Apollo astronauts have been dated to 4.4 to 4.5 billion years old. The Moon has been around for a long, long time.

Bottom line: The current recession rate is anomalistically high.

References:
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2000RvGeo..38...37W
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/age.html
 
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  • #32
How will global warming affect the recession rate? Due to sea level rise, the length of the coast lines that are involved in pushing the tidal bulges forward will change a bit...
 
  • #33
global warming would not have a significant effect on recession rate,since that
in terms of rise in sea level is very gradual .but my doubt is
we cannot determine Earth's speed simply by doing velocity by time,taking time as 365 days and circumference of ellipse ,since we are finding angular velocity(omega)?
 

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