Imagine a planet that spins so fast a day lasts not 24 hours but only six. Daytime is brief, and nighttime is only long enough for a nap. The planet's moon rushes across the sky so close it looks 10 times larger than our familiar Moon!
No, this is not one of the Earth-like planets astronomers have discovered around distant stars. It is Earth itself, 4.5 billion years ago, when the Moon was newly formed and orbiting less than 20,000 miles (32,200 kilometers) from Earth.
Since then, the power of the tides has slowed Earth's spin and pushed the Moon's orbit more than 200,000 miles (322,000 km) farther away.
Other tidal forces have affected many of the solar system's moons. They have controlled their orbits, slowed their spins, melted their interiors, and, in the case of Jupiter's moon Io, driven continuous volcanism.
Rise and Fall of Oceans-and Land
Tides on Earth are caused by the gravitational pulls of both the Moon and Sun. The Moon, though, is much closer, and its pull is twice that of the Sun. Tides on Earth affect more than just the oceans. Though you never notice it, twice each day the solid rock under your feet rises and falls about 15 inches (38 centimeters).
The main tidal bulge caused by the Moon's gravity should point directly toward the Moon-but it doesn't. Earth's fast rotation keeps the tidal bulge ahead of the Moon, so the gravity of the bulge pulls the Moon faster in its path around Earth. Because of this extra pull, the Moon spirals away from Earth-about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) each year-to find a stable orbit.
Esta historia es de la edición March 2024 de Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Esta historia es de la edición March 2024 de Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.
