From: Spike Jones (spike66@attglobal.net)
Date: Sun Jan 07 2001 - 20:45:44 MST
"Ross A. Finlayson" wrote:
> Also, on Mercury, as it doesn't spin as it revolves around the Sun but points
> towards it, half of Mercury is always pointed towards the Sun and the other half
> dark, like Earth's Moon.
Ross, altho it was once thought to be tidelocked to the sun, it is
now known that the planet Mercury rotates three times
for every two times it orbits the Sun (a ``3 - 2 spin-orbit resonance'').
Its too bad, for otherwise we could set up a station on Mercury's
constant dawn, and have unlimited access to a big heat source
and a big cold source.
Heres a really good web page for orbit mechanics fans:
http://www.astronomynotes.com/gravappl/gravapplb.htm
spike
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