[FPSPACE] "We're orbiting hell"

[Jens Kieffer-Olsen]

-----Original Message-----
From: fpspace-bounces at friends-partners.org 
On Behalf Of David Woods
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 2:14 PM
Subject: Re: [FPSPACE] "We're orbiting hell"

> Take a look at the site at: http://www.solarviews.com/eng/mercury.htm
> for a good explanation of this strange resonance lock.  The apparent
> inconsistancy comes from the fact that the planet has to rotate
further
> to compensate for its additional travel in orbit around the Sun.  As a
> result, it you were located at the right location on Mercury's
equator,
> the Sun would appear to rise briefly, set, and rise again before it
> traveled westward across the sky. At sunset, the Sun would appear to
> set, rise again briefly, and then set again.

 Thanks for the excellent link. I guess the discrepancy is best
 explained by the distinction between solar and sidereal day.

 Here on Earth there are a bit over 366 sidereal days in a year,
 that is 365 solar days plus one.

 On Mercury the same formula yields that although there are 1.5
 sidereal days in a Mercury year, there is only 0.5 solar day.
 Hence it takes two Mercury years to run up one solar day, even
 if three sidereal days have passed.

--
Jens Kieffer-Olsen
Slagelse, Denmark