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One (or more) of our moons is missing
NewScientist.com news serviceThe ancient catastrophe that gave birth to the Moon may have produced additional satellites that lingered in Earth's skies for tens of millions of years. A new model suggests moonlets may have once occupied the two Earth-Moon Lagrangian points, regions in space where the gravitational tug of the Earth and the Moon exactly cancel each other out. Objects trapped in these points are called Trojans and can remain stationary forever if left undisturbed. . . . Once captured, the Trojan satellites likely remained in their orbits for up to 100 million years, Lissauer and co-author John Chambers of the Carnegie Institution of Washington say. Then, Does that mean The Crash of Moons is based on a true story? Wowzers!
Posted by: Mike 2008-05-07 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=238470 |