29 Dec '19 18:11>
It’s quite fascinating that our Moon is in tidal lock and presents the same face to the Earth constantly now.
But why isn’t the Earth in tidal lock with the sun?
But why isn’t the Earth in tidal lock with the sun?
@divegeester saidThe tidal effect of the Sun has on the Earth is much smaller than the tidal effect of the Earth has on the its moon. If it wasn't for the Moon orbiting the Earth and the fact that the Earth would probably be absorbed into the Sun when the Sun turns into a red giant, the Earth would eventually become tidally locked with the Sun but that process would take MANY times longer because the tidal effect the Sun has on the Earth is much smaller.
It’s quite fascinating that our Moon is in tidal lock and presents the same face to the Earth constantly now.
But why isn’t the Earth in tidal lock with the sun?
@humy saidThank you.
The tidal effect of the Sun has on the Earth is much smaller than the tidal effect of the Earth has on the its moon.
@sonhouse saidWell I found this illustration of tides:
@divegeester
How did you arrive at that 50% number? It is a bit late, almost 1 AM for me so I don't want to do it but I do see the difference in distances is roughly 400 to 1, a quarter million miles to the moon V near 100 million miles to the sun so 400 squared would be about 160,000ths of the gravitation of the sun V the moon if they were equal in mass. But difference in ...[text shortened]... the inverse square law. Not sure where THAT leads me either. Too fricking late to think right now😉
@sonhouse saidThe Sun is approximately 27,000,000 times more massive than the moon and exerts 50% less tidal force than the Moon. However my question is related to the Sun’s tidal influence on the Earth vs the Earth’s tidal influence on the Moon, not the Moon on the earth.
Well I found this illustration of tides:
http://scienceprimer.com/lunar-and-solar-tides
There is a graph showing the tides due to Luna and tides due to Sol and if the graph is to be believed it shows the solar influence looking like about 50% of Lunar. They don't talk about that aspect though..
Here it is in more detail and is says indeed Lunar tides are twice that ...[text shortened]... -_Mechanics%2C_Sound%2C_Oscillations%2C_and_Waves_(OpenStax)/13%3A_Gravitation/13.07%3A_Tidal_Forces