Re: Challenge to Jim Scotti

Article: <[email protected]> 
Subject: Re: Challenge to Jim Scotti
Date: 10 May 1998 19:42:02 GMT

In article <[email protected]> Paul Campbell
writes:
>> The Moon does NOT HAVE A CIRCULAR ORBIT, and 
>> thus you MUST address the fact that twice a month, for a 
>> full week, it is LESS THAN 90 DEGREE IN ITS 
>> APPROACH TOWARD THE EARTH
>>      ZetaTalk
>
> I'm left wondering what moon the Earth has that <approaches>
> the Earth at an angle less than 90 degrees for a full week 
> <twice> a month?

Perhaps if it came from the mouth of one of your good 'ol boys, you'd
recognize it.  In any orbit, an angle of less than 90 between the
tangent and a line drawn from the center of the gravitational giant
causes a pull TOWARD the gravitational giant, and likewise, if this
angle is more than 90 degrees it means the orbiting object is heading
away from the gravitational giant and will have its speed slowed by the
backward draw.  Both David Tholen and John Ladasky addressed this
concept too, but I guess it just sounds different coming from me, huh,
Paul.

In article <[email protected]> John Ladasky writes:
> Especially for an elliptical orbit.  The angle can be greater or 
> smaller than 90 degrees.  The only constraint is that the angle
> can never be zero.  Then it's not an orbit. (Nancy, of course, has
> claimed that zero degrees *is* compatible with an orbit.)  In 
> that special case, the object is headed straight towards or straight
> away from the Sun.

In article <[email protected]> Dave Tholen writes:
>> the angle between these two lines is the degree of backward
>> tug that the planet is experiencing. Thus, there is erosion in 
>> the forward motion,
>
> Only if the angle is less than 90 degrees, but 0 through 180 are
> possible. ... If the angle is more than 90 degrees, the forward 
> motion is enhanced.