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"Because the moon’s rotation is perfectly synchronized with its revolution..." i'm not sure how i feel about this definition of "rotation". i would say that "r
by leeoniya 12y ago
"Because the moon’s rotation is perfectly synchronized with its revolution..."
i'm not sure how i feel about this definition of "rotation". i would say that "rotation" in the celestial body context would always refer to rotation about an axis passing through the object. while "revolution" is rotation about an axis external to the object.
- phkahler 12y agoSo no problem then. I would substitute "orbit" for revolution in your definitions, but either way you get the same thing - it rotates once per orbit/revolution.
- sixbrx 12y agoI think that's exactly what it means in this case also - the period of rotation on its own axis is exactly matching the period of revolution of its center of mass around the Earth. So that's why the same it is always presenting the same face towards Earth. Did you understand this differently?