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Earth orbit?

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  • 21-05-2005 2:15pm
    #1
    Pigman II
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,921 ✭✭✭✭


    Someone told me the other day that the Earth orbit around the sun is not a smooth perfect ellipse (as drawn in every schools atlas, science book) and is instead more like a series of sine waves moving in and out of this 'ellipse path' due to the gravatational pull of the moon. I guess it could kind of be described as two planets waltzing along an imaginary ellipse line.

    Is this true? If so what is this effect called and is there anywhere I could get an simple animation that accurately shows earth and lunar movements around the sun?

    Thanks!


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    #2
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,400 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Todays word - baricentre

    IIRC the earth-moon baricentre is smaller than the earth radius,

    There would be other wobbles too - from the other planets and the fact the orbit changes over time - the ones that cause Ice ages n' things.


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    #3
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 91,400 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    A strange orbit.
    http://www.astro.uwo.ca/~wiegert/3753/3753.html

    Near-Earth asteroid 3753 Cruithne
    --Earth's curious companion--


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