Synchronous Rotation of Satellites
Same arguments which explained the slowing of Earth’s rotation
- Not ocean tides
- tiny tidal bulges distorting spherical Moon
- If rotation is not synchronous, heat is generated
- tidal bulges move around body of Moon
- demo by squeezing tennis ball, orange
- To conserve energy, rotation slows
- stops when rotation is synchronous with orbit
- Synchronicity found for all the planetary satellites
- the tidal forces of the Giant, Jovian planets even stronger than the Earth’s
- Get too close, and satellites will be torn apart
- Rings of Saturn (Jupiter and Uranus too)