Re: Venus?

[Gary Karshner <gkarshner@STMARYTX.EDU>]

John,
        I am asking myself if I really want to keep this going. Maybe I
can get you to help with a very old problem. My source of this is in annual
Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics Vol.6, page 307, in an article by
Goldreich and Peale. They state:
         "We have seen that the rotational period of Venus is with in a
few tenth of a day 243 day retrograde. If the period is 243.16 days the
same face of Venus will be oriented toward the Earth at each conjunction of
the Earth and Venus."

I have a margin note that says how? with a calculation of the synodic
period. I could not see where they got this, which is "why memory served"
at all.  They go on to calculate the tidal forces involved. From the work
they did they must have been very sure of this fact.
        Any ideas?

Gary


At 11:27 AM 1/31/03 -0500, you wrote:
> Gary Karshner wrote:
>
>  >      If memory serves one of the curiosities of Venus rotation
>  >and  revolution is that the same side of the planet faces the Earth
>  > each time it  passes us.
>
> Herbert H Gottlieb wrote:
> >> *** But the the same side of Venus always faces the SUN
> >> as it rotates and revolves about the SUN.  It's the SUN
> >> and not the EARTH as you have apparenty erred  above.
>
> Please, no more "if memory serves" stuff.
> I call those "memorrhoids".
> To relieve the itching and burning sensation,
> apply some facts:
>
> http://www.the-solar-system.net/planet-venus/venus-fact-sheet.html
>
> All three are quite different:
>   -- Venus year
>   -- Venus day
>   -- synodic period.