2006-12-28 07:26:09 · 6 answers · asked by NIGEL R 7 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
The Earth is picking up mass from all the meteorites that fall on it, but that is only about 50000 tons a year.
The moon is getting further because of the momentum transfer from a slowly decelerating Earth, and that change in spinning velocity (the days are progressively getting longer as a result) is due to the tidal effect. The tidal bulge on the Earth drags the moon along, causing it to gain energy, and that extra energy translates to an increased elevation from the Earth.
2006-12-28 07:35:18 · answer #1 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, the world is not getting heavier. The reason the moon is moving away from the Earth is that it is stealing angular momentum from the Earth via the tides. The Moon's gravity raises a slight bulge on the Earth (that is the tides) and the rotation of the Earth tries to carry that bulge once around in a day. This causes the bulge to get out ahead of the Moon and that slight difference in the shape of the Earth causes the gravity of the Earth to be offset a few feet in front of the Moon in its orbit, pulling it along a little faster. But the Moon is also pulling on the bulge the other way. This causes the Earth's day to get longer and the moon to orbit out further. But the changes will take billions of years to become large enough to notice, so for all practical purposes, everything is just staying the same.
2006-12-28 15:30:15 · answer #2 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, the world is getting heavier. Mostly from meteoric dust which constantly bombards the earth. The dust is so small it filters in the atmosphere without burning up. But this is not the reason the moon is moving away. The moon causes ocean tides on the earth via gravity. This results in a bulge in the ocean which follows the moon. This also results in some of the earths angular momentum being transferred to the moon via gravity. This is speeding the moon up which causes its orbit to get bigger.
2006-12-29 00:39:42 · answer #3 · answered by ZeedoT 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
How can the world get heavier? it can only remain constant because no material is brought in from elsewhere... sure, there may be more people, but they are made of up of substances that were already here... everything goes round in one big cycle, so there is no way the weight of the earth can increase...
2006-12-28 15:33:20 · answer #4 · answered by john c 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Awesome question.
Awesome hypothesis.
I recently watched this show about the Wright Brothers, and their quest to create a flying machine, and there is a point at which they realize they have to abandon all of the currently "accepted" data on flying, because it was all wrong. Wow. Watch it, and I think you'll feel like I did...
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wright/about.html
2006-12-28 15:40:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
no we have all just jollied ourselfs up on festive eating?
2006-12-28 15:30:51 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋