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From: bill@utastro.UUCP (William H. Jefferys)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Dinosaurs in Distress
Message-ID: <707@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Sep-85 00:01:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: utastro.707
Posted: Fri Sep 13 00:01:36 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Sep-85 05:23:01 EDT
References: <369@cornell.UUCP>
Organization: U. Texas, Astronomy, Austin, TX
Lines: 37

> With considerable amusement I have been following the Ted Holden vs.
> The World debate, and if I understand his postings (which may not be
> the case) he claims that the gravity on earth in ancient time was
> felt to be lower, since Saturn was hanging somewhere in the sky and
> causing tremendous tidal-effects. Now, on the hemisphere closest to
> Saturn gravity would indeed be lower, but on the far side gravity
> would in the same manner be much higher (right?). So unless Saturn
> was in a geosynchronous orbit the poor dinosaurs would we squashed
> periodically, and hence succumb.

Actually, no. (Too bad, this was an ingenious argument).  There are
*two* high tides per day, not one; one occurs when the Moon is on the
same side of the Earth as we are, and the other when it is on the
opposite side.  During each high tide, the local gravity is reduced.
Consult any elementary astronomy text for the reasons (which are 
best explained with pictures).

However, there would be no relief from the full gravity of the Earth
in the +/- 30 degree band midway between the subsaturn point and its
opposite pole.  And if the Earth turned with respect to Saturn the
poor dinosaur would, as you point out, be alternately squashed and
relieved even without any addition to the Earth's gravity, since as
Ted avers, these particular dinosaurs were too heavy to have survived
Earth-normal gravity.  I have already pointed out that there are good
physical reasons to disbelieve Ted's assertion that the pole of the
Earth pointed towards Saturn (and I don't believe that Ted has told
us - yet - how stupid I was to make that remark :-)

-- 
Glend.	I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
Hot.	Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you
	do call for them?    --  Henry IV Pt. I, III, i, 53

	Bill Jefferys  8-%
	Astronomy Dept, University of Texas, Austin TX 78712   (USnail)
	{allegra,ihnp4}!{ut-sally,noao}!utastro!bill	(UUCP)
	bill@astro.UTEXAS.EDU.				(Internet)


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