
The Random Image Thread (keeping it PG-13 at the worst)
user wrote: Very nice! What are the theories about the lack of "seas" on the dark side?
As it happens the Bad Astronomer attempts to answer that question.
Basically there are two hypotheses to explain this, although it is possible that these may be blended together for a full explanation. First, it is generally accepted that the Moon was made from the collection of material that was blasted from the Earth sometime after the Earth's material had become somewhat differentiated in a collision with a body about the size of Mars, which helps to explain why the Moon is made up of generally less dense matter than the Earth overall. It is what happens after that matter began to coalesce where the difference was made:
1) When the Moon began to form after the collision, what happened was that TWO unequal bodies were formed. Eventually these collided together but since they were in orbit around the Earth this collision was not a high-speed one, so instead of blasting away lots of material they more-or-less smooshed together with the smaller body forming most of the far side of the Moon.
2) When the Moon coalesced it was into one body but at the time it was much closer to the Earth than it is now, perhaps about 1/20th its current distance from the Earth. Both bodies were hot as a result of the collision, and the Moon relatively quickly--within a few months--became tidally locked so that only one face was facing the Earth. The Moon's near side was being heated by the hot Earth and so the more volatile (and usually lighter) materials evaporated from the near side and cooled on the far side, creating the differentiated surface that we now see.
Just for completeness: user's comment was to uki's post of a rotating Moon.
- Donkey Butter
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- Title: jerk face
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- Donkey Butter
- Posts: 1662
- Joined: Sun Nov 14, 2010 8:15 am
- Title: jerk face
- Location: over yonder
dv wrote:Donkey Butter wrote: Suzuki. Enough said.
I don't understand what really small violins played by five-year-olds have to do with that motorcycle.
I'm not sure either.

I want one of these...
radarman wrote:
I want one of these...
Does it also rain Skittles?
Aw, he's no fun, he fell right over.
Science is Truth for Life. In FORTRAN tongue the Answer.
...so I'm supposed to find the Shadow King from inside a daiquiri?
Science is Truth for Life. In FORTRAN tongue the Answer.
...so I'm supposed to find the Shadow King from inside a daiquiri?
radarman wrote:![]()
lol
"TOS ain’t havin no horserace round here. “Policies” is the coin of the realm." -- iDaemon
ukimalefu wrote:![]()
Whomever creates these sports gifs is making the internet worthwhile.
Pyke notte thy nostrellys
- Geesie
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- Title: Couldn't hit it sideways
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TOS wrote:radarman wrote:![]()
lol
http://kitchenette.jezebel.com/guy-fier ... /+marchman
It's worth a read.

Geesie wrote:TOS wrote:radarman wrote:![]()
lol
http://kitchenette.jezebel.com/guy-fier ... /+marchman
It's worth a read.
that ... hurt my brain
"TOS ain’t havin no horserace round here. “Policies” is the coin of the realm." -- iDaemon