Re: Asteroid Problem

[Jack Uretsky <jlu@HEP.ANL.GOV>]

        The experiments have been in progress for quite a while.  Check
out http://www.npl.washington.edu/eotwash/.
                        Regards,
                                Jack



On Fri, 31 Aug 2001, Ludwik Kowalski wrote:

> Our moon is about 30 earth-diameters away. In this case
> components of forces exerted on any little part of our planet
> are very small in comparison with perpendicular components
> (on my picture where the moon-earth line is horizontal).
> Thus lunar tidal forces (gradient of F) are essentially
> horizontal (on my picture). But this would not be so for
> an asteroid located only one earth-diameter away from
> the center of our planet. Would the vertical force
> components reduce the tidal effect? I would expect so.
>
> And I hope we will never have a chance to test this
> experimentally for a very massive asteroid. Can this be
> tested on a very small scale? For example, in solid tides
> mutually induced in two large cannon balls.
> Ludwik Kowalski

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                     <The 5-MINUTE ILIAD and Other Classics>