Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site watmath.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!csc From: csc@watmath.UUCP (Computer Sci Club) Newsgroups: net.games.trivia Subject: Re: heavenly bodies Message-ID: <7975@watmath.UUCP> Date: Thu, 7-Jun-84 12:52:26 EDT Article-I.D.: watmath.7975 Posted: Thu Jun 7 12:52:26 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 8-Jun-84 01:41:43 EDT References: <99@tekigm.UUCP> Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 21 Yes the moon does rotate on its own axis. However the moon always keeps the same side facing toward the earth. This leads to the confusion you have experienced. To illustrate take two plates and a table. Put one plate in the center to represent the earth. Mark one edge of the other plate, this is the moon. Now revolve the moon about the earth without rotating it. (i.e. move the marked plate in a circle around the unmarked plate while making sure the marked edge of the plate always points to the same edge of the table) You will note that the moon does not always have the same side facing the earth. Next revolve the moon about the earth keeping the marked edge facing the earth. You will note that as you revolve the plate once about the earth, it will rotate on its axis (realative to the table) once. This is the what the moon does. In order to keep the same side facing the earth it must (relative to the stars) rotate once on its axis for each revolution around the earth. Hope I have not confused things even more. William Hughes