What can a moon’s tidal friction teach us about its formation and evolution? This is what a recent study published in Science Advances hopes to address as a team of researchers at the University of ...

After the explanation of this theory, I have added some comments on Mr. See’s views. If familiarity does not always breed contempt, yet at least it generally breeds indifference. This is the case with ...

SwRI scientists have determined that at the rate Titan’s orbit is changing, it should have acquired a circular orbit within about 350 million years. The fact that Titan currently has a noncircular or ...

For billions of years, the Moon has been Earth’s steadfast companion, influencing tides, stabilising our planet’s tilt, and shaping the evolution of life. Yet precise laser measurements reveal an ...

The observations of ancient astronomers from the time of the Babylonians onwards have revealed our modern days are not getting quite as long as they should be. The Earth's spin is slowing down and ...

For most of us, a day feels like one of the few fixed things in life. 24 hours to get the kids to school, answer emails, cook dinner, maybe glance at the Moon on the way home. Yet from a planetary ...

AT the Editor's request I contribute a few remarks Mr. Brooks's letter. The suggestion that tidal friction might be a cause of changes in the distribution of land and water is not new. It will be ...

(Later, tidal heating would turn off, and the planet's surface could become safe to walk on.) In contrast, a world that had completely melted would be so fluid that it would produce little friction.