at their closest point ? What is that called ? I know its a word ? But anyway did massive earthquakes happen on Earth ?
2007-05-15 02:45:12 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Hi. The word is 'conjunction'. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conjunction_%28astronomy_and_astrology%29
2007-05-15 03:07:00 · answer #1 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Over the billions of years that they've been in orbit? I'm sure it's happened.
Did quakes happen? Not because of the alignment. The distance between the planets means that the gravitational pull of those planets would be nil (except for the moon, of course). Your neighbor's Buick probably exerts more pull on you than Mars does.
The moon is close enough to have an observable effect twice a day - it's called the tides. And I'm told that there is an observable tide even on dry land because of the moon - but it only changes a small amount, maybe an inch or so. To me, I'd think that this accounts in part for how dirt settles after being disturbed. I doubt it causes earthquakes, though, unless the fault is on the very edge of slipping already.
2007-05-15 09:51:52 · answer #2 · answered by Ralfcoder 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You may be thinking of the book, "The Jupiter Effect". In 1974, John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann published The Jupiter Effect, a book predicting that an alignment of the planets would create a number of catastrophes, including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault in 1982. The predicted catastrophes did not occur, as the gravitational effect of the other planets on the Earth's crust is minimal even at their closest approach. In his 1999 book "The Little Book of Science," Dr. Gribbin said of his theory "...I don't like it, and I'm sorry I ever had anything to do with it."
2007-05-15 09:57:16 · answer #3 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Have they ever lined up? Depends on how close you want to count it. 30 degrees? Maybe. 3 degrees? Probably not. 1 degree? I am sure this has never happened in historical times.
Somebody said: "Your neighbor's Buick probably exerts more pull on you than Mars does." The actual gravitation forces at conjunction are about:
moon: 3.4E-6 gravities (G's)
Jupiter: 43.E-9 G
Venus: 2.8E-9 G
car (at 1 meter): 0.76E-9 G
mars: 0.084E-9 G
Summation: 3.42E-6 G
Earth: 1.0 G
2007-05-15 11:32:31 · answer #4 · answered by morningfoxnorth 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes along wtih Jupiter and Saturn once. They predicted the End of the World, didn't you see it happen (NOT!) It was about 20 or 30 years ago.
2007-05-15 13:37:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
just last evening in the southern skies... now that's what I call a coincidence~~~
2007-05-15 09:52:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 5⤋