![]() ![]() That's ofcourse, not quite right as the different masses would have different Hill Spheres, and the mutual gravitation of two objects massive to have a barrycenter outside the more massive planet would combine into a slightly faster orbit, but it's close enough to demonstrate the instability. When this happens, the inner planet is at L1 to the outer planet and the outer planet is at L2 to the inner planet. (see diagram of the Moon's synodic orbit). A simple way to explain this is to imagine that the planet's orbit each other at the same rate they orbit the star (your scenario has them orbiting even slower).Īt the same rate of orbit, the synodic period essentially approaches infinity. Imagine designing a long term calendar for this system!! Would someone on the surface of one of the planets experience experience night and day in 15.3 day cycles? Would the difference in tidal effects of the star on the different sized planets cause the orbit to "precess" or have some other effect? I am wondering how such a system would evolve over time. The planetary rotation/co-orbital period is much longer than the orbital period around the star, so I would think that the planets would have characteristics of a lone TL planet. Let's take an example of a "double-planet" (of $0.075$ and $0.030\:\mathrm$. How would the tidal effects of the star's gravity effect the orbit of the planets around each other? Now, let's say that the "binary system" is in an orbit close enough to a star to be tidally locked to the star. Also, the system would have to fill other planet requirements (like emptying it's own orbital area around the star). ![]() Now, whenever anyone asks you what tidal locking is, you now know what to tell them: It is when one body in space orbits another in way that causes its day and year to be the same in length.First, I'd like to take the definition of a "double-planet" as two bodies orbiting each other where the center of gravity is not inside the larger body. Therefore, more can be tidally locked than just planets and their moons. A Canadian telescope may have also confirmed that a star is tidally locked with a nearby planet. Tidal locking doesn’t have to only exist between a moon and planet it can happen with other bodies in space too! Astronomers often say that binary stars, or star systems that have two stars at their center, are most likely tidally locked to each other. That means millions of years from now that we may be like Pluto and Charon, meaning we may only see one side of the moon and the moon only sees one side of Earth. Tidal locking does influence how our planet moves, because tidal locking slows down the spin of our planet. This would be like the Earth showing the same side of the planet to the moon, and the moon showing the same side to us. This means that Pluto always shows the same side to Charon, and Charon always shows the same side to Pluto. However, Pluto and Charon are a special case because they are both tidally locked to each other. Pluto’s moon, Charon, is tidally locked to its primary body (Pluto). ![]() Other planets have tidally locked moons too. The slowing of the moon eventually causes the orbit to match its rotation. The moon is pulled and stretched, which causes it to slow down. This force causes the bodies to stretch and distort, which actually causes Earth’s tides. The force that is exerted will always be stronger on the sides facing each other, meaning the force exerted on the moon and Earth is stronger where they face each other. Tidal locking happens because both bodies, the moon and the Earth in the previous example, exert force on each other. ![]() The moon orbits around Earth every 28 days, and the moon rotates completely around its axis in 28 days. This is because the moon is tidally locked to the Earth. We see the same side of the moon, never getting a glimpse of its other side from Earth. By having equal years and days, this orbiting body shows the same side of its face to those looking at it from the other body, or the body that being rotated around. This means that the body spins around its own axis once for each time it orbits around another, specific body in space. Tidal locking is when a body in space orbits another body in a way that the body’s year and day are equal in length. You may have never heard of tidal locking before and may wonder, what exactly is tidal locking? What does it look like, and what does it even mean? ![]()
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