Re: GEOLOGY/SETI: The moon and plate tectonics

From: Mike Lorrey (mlorrey@datamann.com)
Date: Thu Jul 12 2001 - 18:17:54 MDT


CurtAdams@aol.com wrote:
>
> In a message dated 7/12/01 9:27:25 AM, mlorrey@datamann.com writes:
>
> >But did Charon result from a collision like that that formed our moon?
> >Or was it simply a captured Kuiper Belt Object.... its really just a
> >hunk of ice.
>
> I don't know personally, but it's got an awfully circular orbit for a capture.
> They're both supposed to be just big KBOs, by current conventional wisdom.

Circularity is a function of time and tidal drag. Being ice, they are
more fluid, which acts to dampen out energy exchanges that could make
its orbit more oblong.



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