What Would Happen if the Earth Stopped Rotating?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the hypothetical scenario of the Earth ceasing to rotate, examining the implications for day and night cycles, tidal locking, and comparisons to other celestial bodies like Venus and the Moon. Participants engage in technical reasoning and conceptual clarifications regarding rotation and its effects on light and shadow.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that if the Earth did not rotate, one side would always face the Sun, leading to six months of day and six months of night.
  • Others argue that this scenario is unlikely due to gravitational interactions with the Sun, which could lead to tidal locking, similar to the Moon's relationship with Earth.
  • There is a discussion about the implications of defining rotation with respect to fixed stars versus the Sun, with references to Venus's long day/night cycle.
  • Some participants challenge the analogy of a swinging bucket, questioning why a non-rotating Earth would not have one side always illuminated, while others clarify that the bucket's rotation affects what is visible to an observer.
  • Speculation arises regarding Venus's rotation and its potential tidal locking, with some suggesting that Earth's gravitational influence may have affected Venus's rotational evolution.
  • Participants discuss the mechanics of swinging a bucket and the conditions under which water would remain inside, drawing parallels to celestial mechanics.
  • There are inquiries about the shadow-casting behavior of moons in relation to their orbits and the Sun, with some noting that not all moons will necessarily cast shadows on their planets.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the implications of a non-rotating Earth, with no consensus reached on whether one side would always be illuminated or if six months of day and night would occur. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the mechanics of light and shadow in this hypothetical scenario.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include assumptions about gravitational influences, the definition of rotation, and the specific conditions under which celestial bodies interact. The discussion does not resolve the complexities of these interactions.

  • #31
Vanadium 50 said:
Do you have a reason to suspect it's physically impossible? It appears unlikely, but that's not the same thing.

If you mean the polar orbit, one problem is that it will tend to preces
256bits said:
Nobody seems to have mentioned Legrange points earth-sun, particularly 4 and 5 which are stable positions.
No shadow there.
Question is, would that object even be considered a moon of the earth, or of the sun?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagrange_point
There's also 3753 Cruithne, which is sometimes called "Earth's second moon" It follows a bean shaped path relative to the Earth, but not one that circles the Earth.
 
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  • #32
This has a whiff of a SciFi scenario. Nothing wrong with SciFi (I read a lot) but I can't think of another reason to examine the facts about this. And in any case, nothing is for ever when it comes to orbits.
 

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