Anomalous Moon Measurements Explained
TNRTB Archive – Retained for reference information
Studies of the early Earth-Moon system resolve an anomaly in the Moon’s shape and strengthen both scientists’ understanding of the solar system’s development and RTB’s cosmic creation model. In 1799, Pierre-Simon Laplace first discovered the discrepancy between the measured and predicted bulge at the Moon’s equator. The rotation rate and tidal stretching of today’s moon cannot explain the size of the bulge. However, a more eccentric, faster-rotating moon would resolve the discrepancy. Shortly after the collision that formed the Moon (about 4.5 billion years ago), its surface was a fluid magma ocean. Recent studies confirm that the Moon’s rotation rate during this time was higher and could have been much more eccentric than today. As the magma ocean cooled during this early period of lunar evolution, it solidified the expanded equator, and the Moon’s shape has not changed since. In a good model, future work resolves past anomalies, thereby increasing its explanatory power. As evidenced by this work, RTB’s cosmic creation model (which incorporates scientists’ understanding of solar system development) demonstrates this characteristic.
- Kimmo Innanen, “Solving Laplace’s Lunar Puzzle,” Science 313 (2006): 622-23.
- https://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/313/5787/622
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