The beautiful and mysterious Moon excited the minds of the most ancient thinkers long before the advent of modern astronomy. Legends were formed about her, storytellers glorified her. At the same time, many features of the behavior of the night luminary were noticed. Even then, people began to understand how the influence of the moon on the Earth is expressed. In many ways, for ancient scientists, it manifested itself in the management of certain aspects of the behavior of people and animals, the impact on magic rituals... However, the Moon and its influence were considered not only from the point of view of astrology. So, already in the period of Antiquity, the relationship was noticed lunar cycle and tides. Today science knows almost everything about the impact of the night star on our planet.
General information
The moon is natural. It is at a distance of over 384 thousand kilometers from our planet. Moreover, the night star turns along a slightly elongated orbit, and therefore different time the indicated figure decreases or increases slightly. The Moon makes one revolution around the Earth in about 27.3 days. In this case, the full cycle (from the full moon to the new full moon) takes a little more than 29.5 days. This discrepancy has an interesting consequence: there are months when full moon you can admire not once, but twice.
Perhaps everyone knows that the night star always looks at the Earth with only one side of it. long time was not available for study. The rapid development of astronautics in the last century turned the tide. There is enough now detailed maps the entire lunar surface.
"Hidden" Sun
The influence of the moon on the Earth is noticeable in several natural phenomena... The most impressive of these is solar eclipse... Now it is rather difficult to imagine the storm of emotions that this phenomenon caused in ancient times. The eclipse was explained by the death or temporary disappearance of the luminary through the fault of evil deities. People believed that if you do not commit certain ritual actions, they may never see sunlight again.
Today the mechanism of the phenomenon has been studied quite well. The moon, passing between the sun and the earth, blocks the path of light. Part of the planet falls into the shadow, and its inhabitants can observe a more or less total eclipse. Interestingly, not every satellite could do this. In order for us to periodically admire a total eclipse, certain proportions must be observed. Whether the Moon had a different diameter, or it was located a little further from us, and only partial eclipses of the daylight could be observed from the Earth. However, there is every reason to believe that one of these scenarios will be realized in the distant future.
Earth and Moon: mutual attraction
The satellite, according to scientists, moves away from the planet every year by almost 4 cm, that is, over time, the opportunity to see a total eclipse will disappear. However, this moment is still very far away.
What is the reason for the lunar "escape"? It lies in the peculiarities of the interaction of the night star and our planet. The influence of the moon on earth processes are primarily manifested in the ebb and flow. This phenomenon is the result of the action of attraction. Moreover, tides occur not only on Earth. Our planet in the same way affects the satellite.
Mechanism
The close enough location makes the influence of the moon on the Earth so noticeable. Naturally, that part of the planet is more strongly attracted to which the satellite has approached. If the Earth did not rotate around its axis, the resulting tidal wave would move from east to west, positioning itself exactly under the night star. The characteristic periodicity arises from the uneven impact on one or the other parts of the planet.
It leads to the fact that the tidal wave moves from west to east and is somewhat ahead of the movement of the satellite. The entire water column running slightly ahead of the night star, in turn, affects it. As a result, the Moon is accelerating, its orbit changes. This is the reason for the removal of the satellite from our planet.
Some features of the phenomenon
Even before our era, it was known that the "breath" of the ocean is caused by the Moon. The ebb and flow, however, were subjected to a particularly careful study much later. Today it is well known that the phenomenon has a certain periodicity. Full water (the moment when the tide reaches its maximum) is separated from low water (the most low level) for about 6 hours and 12.5 minutes. After passing the minimum point, the tidal wave begins to grow again. During the day or a little more, thus, there are two ebb and flow.
It has been observed that the amplitude of the tidal wave is not constant. She is influenced by His the greatest value the amplitude reaches the full moon and new moon. Smallest value occurs in the first and last quarter.
Length of the day
A tidal wave generates more than a specific movement ocean waters... The influence of the moon on earth processes does not end there. The resulting tidal wave constantly meets the continents. As a result of the rotation of the planet and its interaction with the satellite, a force arises that is opposite to the movement of the earth's solidity. The consequence of this is the slowing down of the Earth's rotation around the axis. As you know, it is the duration of one revolution that is the standard for the duration of the day. As the rotation of the planet slows down, the length of the day increases. It grows rather slowly, but every few years the International Earth Rotation Service is forced to slightly change the standard against which all clocks are checked.
Future
The Earth and the Moon have been affecting each other for about 4.5 billion years, that is, from the day of their appearance (according to a number of scientists, the satellite and the planet were formed at the same time). Throughout this period, as now, the night star was moving away from the Earth, and our planet slowed down its rotation. However, a complete stop, as well as a final disappearance, is not expected. The planet will continue to decelerate until its rotation is synchronized with the movement of the moon. In this case, our planet will turn to the satellite with one side and “freeze” like that. The tidal waves that the Earth causes on the Moon have long led to a similar effect: the night star always looks at the planet with “one eye”. By the way, there are no oceans on the moon, but there are tidal waves: they are formed in the cortex. The same processes are taking place on our planet. Waves in the crust are subtle compared to movement in the ocean, and their effect is negligible.
Associated changes
When our planet synchronizes its motion with a satellite, the influence of the Moon on the Earth will be somewhat different. Tidal waves will continue to emerge, but they will no longer overtake the night star. The wave will be located exactly under the "hovering" Moon and follow it relentlessly. Then the increase in the distance between the two space objects will stop.
Astrology
In addition to physical impact, the Moon is credited with the ability to influence the fate of people and states. Such beliefs have very deep roots, and the attitude towards them is a personal matter. However, there are a number of studies that indirectly confirm this effect of the night star. For example, in funds mass media mentioned about the data of analysts of one of the Australian banks. On the basis of independently conducted research, they assert the fact of a noticeable influence of the phases of the moon on the change in the indices of world financial markets. But the influence of the moon on fish in the process special research has not been confirmed. However, such scientific research requires careful verification.
We can hardly imagine our world without the moon. It certainly would not have ebb and flow, and maybe life itself. According to one of the versions, its appearance on Earth became possible, among other things, due to the specific influence of the Moon, leading to a slowdown in the rotation of the planet.
Studying the influence of a satellite on Earth helps to understand the laws of the Universe. The interactions characteristic of the Earth-Moon system are not specific. In a similar way the relationship of all the planets and their satellites is taking shape. An example of the future that may await the Earth and its companion is the Pluto-Charon system. They have synchronized their movement for a long time. Both the one and the other are constantly addressing their "colleague" by the same side. A similar thing awaits the Earth and the Moon, but provided that the other factors affecting the system are unchanged, but this is unlikely in an unpredictable space.
There is a close connection. It has such a character as if the satellite is not an independent heavenly body, and is one of the continents of the blue planet. For example, in one of the craters of the eternal space brother, the glow of gases is observed, and after a day there is powerful earthquake in Japan. So it can be argued that there is a certain influence of the Moon on the Earth.
Long-term observations show that for unusual phenomena terrestrial cataclysms follow on the lunar surface. This always happens, so it cannot be considered coincidence or coincidence. Lunar phenomena are activated, and our planet immediately responds with volcanic eruptions and ground motion.
What is the reason for such phenomena? Here it must be said that before the onset of the cataclysm, hidden processes are activated in the earth's crust. By the way, they are perfectly felt by many animals. This applies to fish in aquariums, cats, dogs. Our smaller brothers begin to rush and worry for no reason. It is entirely possible to assume that the space satellite also perceives disturbances in the earth's crust even before the onset of tremors. And this is expressed in the form of various phenomena on a lifeless surface.
This is one point of view, but there is also a friend. Various luminous phenomena on Lunar surface arise as a result of some hidden processes that go on in the bowels of the satellite. They provoke earthquakes in the earth's crust. Paradoxical as it may sound, many experts believe that it is the Moon that is the culprit behind the powerful tremors on Earth.
By the way, Russian scientists have studied historical records the most diverse natural disasters over the past 900 years. It was found that the most powerful geological catastrophes occurred on the full moon.
But the influence of the moon on Earth is not limited to only geological processes... Our eternal cosmic brother has a certain effect on living beings. English scientists studying circulatory system black cockroach, found in it a substance that accelerates the work of the heart. Its concentration was measured for several weeks. And it was found that it is in direct proportion to the lunar phases.
Research from beautiful graceful insects was carried over to rodents and then to humans. Blood tests in these cases showed the same relationship. Moreover, it was found that the content of matter reached a maximum two days after the new moon and full moon, and then began to fall.
Was installed chemical composition substances that accelerate the work of the heart. These are acetylcholine and serotonin. Their content is not constant and fluctuates in accordance with the daily cycle. And after the new moon and full moon, norepinephrine appears in the blood. All these chemical compounds are known to be involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. That is, they are directly related to the brain, psyche and nervous system.
Thus, it can be assumed that the influence of the Moon on the Earth is carried out through the named chemical substances... In this case, the entire living world of the blue planet is exposed, since the satellite has a direct impact on the mechanisms of cell control. Therefore, the cosmos takes live participation in all the processes that go on in an endless series in the sublunary world, it's not for nothing that it is called that.
The moon is a natural space satellite of our planet and at the same time is the brightest object in the night sky. V Solar system The moon is the fifth largest natural satellites planets. In addition, it is the Moon that is the very first and only to date extraterrestrial space object, which has been visited by man. The period of the moon's revolution around the globe is almost 28 days (27.3216 - sidereal month). Due to the fact that the Moon is not a self-luminous object in the night sky, but only reflects the light of the sun's rays, from the ground we can only see the illuminated side of the satellite.
There is practically no atmosphere on the moon, and it is because of this that its surface, on which the sun's rays fall, heats up to 120 ° C, and at night or in the shade, this same incandescent surface rapidly cools down to 160 ° C.
Most known fact the influence of the moon on terrestrial processes are the ebb and flow of the seas. The fact is that gravitational influence Moon to Earth more intense from the side of the Earth, which in this moment is turned to the Moon, and on the opposite side the Moon does not exert gravitational attraction. For this reason, the oceans are stretched in the direction of the moon, which is why the sea tides occur.
Moon exploration began in antiquity. The first moon charts appeared in 1651 thanks to Giovanni Riccioli. By the way, it was G. Riccioli who first gave names to the largest lunar regions, calling them "seas", this term before today t is used to indicate locations on the moon. Further, with the advent of photography, the exploration of the moon became more intense, since photographs made it possible to study the surface of the moon in more detail, and in 1881 Jules Janssen compiled a photographic atlas of the lunar surface for the first time.
Since the beginning of the space age, knowledge about our space satellite has increased significantly. It was in the space race, which was conducted by the USSR and the USA, for the championship in space and on the Moon, that we became aware of the composition of the lunar soil, since we managed to deliver it to earth, and not study it on a satellite. Also thanks to these countries, which fought for the primacy, a map was drawn back side The moon, the one that cannot be seen from Earth.
For the first time a satellite visited spacecraft Luna-2. This event took place on September 13, 1959, and it was possible to look beyond the side of the moon invisible from the earth only in 1959, when space station Luna-3 (USSR) flew over it and was able to photograph it.
After a man first visited the Moon and the space programs Luna (USSR) and Apollo (USA) ended, the exploration of the Moon practically ceased. But with the beginning of this century, China announced its readiness to explore the moon, as well as to build several habitable lunar bases there. After this statement, space organizations of leading countries, in particular the United States (NASA) and ESA (European Space Agency), again deployed their space programs.
What will come of this?
Let's see in 2020. It was for this year that George W. Bush planned the landing of people on the moon. This date is ahead of China by a whole ten years, since in their space program it was said that the creation of inhabited lunar bases and the landing of people on them would take place only in 2030.
site- From time immemorial, this astronomical body was the object of the mysteries and studies of ancient astrologers. Today scientists are trying to analyze ideas that have come from the depths of centuries and give answers to many questions that remain unanswered and figure at the level of myths.
V the scientific world there is no consensus on this issue. The views of scientists were divided. Each side presents facts to prove their point of view. And despite the fact that most of the impact of the moon has not yet been proven, yet individual moments are recognized by two camps of scientists, such as the ebb and flow.
The moon, with its gravitational field, affects the earth's biosphere and causes, in particular, changes magnetic field Earth. The rhythm of the moon affects the ebb and flow, air pressure, changes in temperature, wind action, the earth's magnetic field, and water level. Moreover, the tidal effect is not only on water areas, but also on earth crust, however, due to the density of the latter, it will remain unnoticed.
By the way, the tidal effect on the planet is exerted not only by the Moon, but also by the Sun, although the influence of the Sun is weaker, due to its distance from the Earth. The height of solar tides is half that of lunar ones. Lunar-solar tides are an important phenomenon in the life of the Earth. Under their influence, the Earth gradually slows down its rotation; the length of the day is increasing. The earth's tidal force acts even more strongly on the moon: it has long since slowed down its diurnal rotation so much so that it constantly faces us with one side. For example, 400 million years ago, a day on Earth lasted two hours less.
There is an interesting hypothesis about the stabilizing role of a satellite on Earth. So, in relation to the size of the Earth, the Moon is a fairly large satellite. Its diameter is 3474 km, while the diameter of the Earth is 12.742 km. In relation to the Earth, planetary scientists believe that it is the Moon that helps stabilize the Earth's orbit, as well as the tilt of the axis of rotation, which in turn affects the formation of the seasons.
As for the influence of the Moon on the human body, everything is much more complicated here, since a living organism is an infinitely plastic system with many psychological "complications". The moon has been presented to man for centuries mysterious power who was able to manage many life processes. However, the opinions of scientists exploring this "side" of the moon differ. For example, midwives back in the 19th century. were convinced that the moon affects the onset of childbirth. As Italian doctors have shown, more childbirth falls on the full moon. There is no explanation for this phenomenon. But along with this, there is research that proves the opposite.
For two years, Indian doctors have recorded cases of heart attacks depending on the phases of the moon. It turned out that the incidence of heart attacks on the new moon is 20% more than on the full moon. A study by German doctors does not support the prevailing opinion about faster healing of wounds during the waning of the moon.
The cycle of menstruation also has nothing to do with lunar calendar... For three years American anthropologists followed the monthly cycle of women of the Indian tribe living in the forests away from such factors of civilization influencing the biorhythms as hormonal contraceptives and electric lighting... No connection to the moon has been found.
Also, the Moon does not affect people's behavior. Crime statistics show no relationship between the phases of the moon and the frequency or severity of crime. However, psychiatrists from Liverpool claim that the moon affects the state of schizophrenics.
In this chapter, we will consider how the Moon acts with its gravitational field on the Earth itself, i.e. on her body and her orbital motion. The consequences of this impact for various earthly spheres - the lithosphere, hydrosphere, core, atmosphere, magnetosphere, etc., as well as for the biosphere will be considered in the following chapters.
ATTENTION!
See the graphs of the gravitational interaction of the Moon and the Earth using the service
LUNAR FACTOR
Design ratios and constants
To calculate the gravitational effect of the Moon, we will use the formula of classical physics, which determines the force F of mutual attraction of two bodies with masses M1 and M2, the centers of mass of which are located at a distance R from each other:
(1) F (n) = (G x M1 x M2) / R 2,
where G = 6.67384 x 10 -11 - gravitational constant.
This formula gives the value of the force of attraction in SI units - newtons (n). For the purposes of our treatise, it will be more convenient and understandable to operate with kilograms of force (kgf), which are obtained by dividing F by a coefficient of 9.81, i.e.:
(2) F (kgf) = (G x M1 x M2) / (9.81 x R 2)
For further calculations, we need the following constants:
- the mass of the moon is 7.35 x 10 22 kg;
- the average distance from the Earth to the Moon is 384,400 km;
- the average radius of the Earth is 6371 km;
- the mass of the Sun - 1.99 x 10 30 kg;
- the average distance from the Earth to the Sun is 149.6 million km;
The force of lunar gravity on Earth
In accordance with formula (2), the force of attraction by the Moon of a body weighing 1 kg, located in the center of the Earth, with a distance between the Moon and the Earth equal to its average value, is equal to:
(3) F = (6.67 x 10 -11 x 7.35 x 10 22 x 1) / (9.81 x 384 400 000 2) = 0, 000003382 kgf
those. only 3,382 micrograms. For comparison, let's calculate the force of attraction of the same body by the Sun (also for the average distance):
(4) F = (6.67 x 10 -11 x 1.99 x 10 30 x 1) / (9.81 x 149600000000 2) = 0, 000604570 kgf,
those. 604,570 micrograms, which is almost 200 (two hundred!) Times more than the gravitational force of the Moon.
In addition, the weight of a body on the surface of the Earth changes in much more significant limits due to the deviation of the Earth's shape from the ideal, uneven relief and density, as well as the influence of centrifugal forces. So, for example, the weight of a body weighing 1 kg at the poles is more than the weight at the equator by about 5.3 grams, and one third of this difference is due to the flattening of the Earth from the poles, and two thirds - centrifugal force at the equator against gravity.
As you can see, the direct gravitational effect of the Moon on a specific body on Earth is literally microscopic and at the same time significantly inferior to the gravitational effect of the Sun and geophysical anomalies.
Lunar gravity gradient
Let's turn to Figure 3.1. For the average value of the Earth-Moon distance, the force of attraction by the Moon of a body weighing 1 kg, located on the surface of the Earth at the point closest to the Moon, is 3.495 micrograms, which is 0.113 micrograms more than the force of attraction of the same body, but located in the center of the Earth. The force of attraction of a body located on the surface of the Earth, by the Sun (also for the average value of the distance) will be 604.622 micrograms, which is more than the force of attraction of the same body, but located in the center of the Earth, by 0.052 micrograms.
Figure 3.1 Lunar and solar gravity
Thus, despite the immeasurably smaller mass of the Moon in comparison with the Sun, the gradient of its gravitational force in the Earth's orbit is on average two s more times more than the gradient of the gravitational force of the Sun.
To illustrate the impact gravitational field Moon on the body of the Earth, turn to Fig. 3.2.
Figure 3.2 Influence of the Moon's gravitational field on the Earth's body.
This figure presents a very, very simplified picture of the reaction of the Earth's body to the effect of lunar gravity, but it reliably reflects the essence of the process - the change in the shape of the globe under the influence of the so-called. tidal (or tidal) forces directed along the Earth-Moon axis, and the forces of elasticity of the Earth's body opposing them. Tidal forces arise from the fact that points on the Earth, located closer to the moon, are attracted to it more than points located farther from it. In other words, the deformation of the Earth's body is a consequence of the gradient of the gravitational force of the Moon and the opposing elastic forces of the Earth's body. As a result of the action of these forces, the size of the Earth increases in the direction of the tidal forces and decreases in the transverse direction, as a result of which a wave is formed on the surface, called a tidal wave. This wave has two maxima located on the Earth-Moon axis and moving along the Earth's surface in the direction opposite to the direction of its rotation. The wave amplitude depends on the latitude of the area and the current parameters of the Moon's orbit and can reach several tens of centimeters. Maximum value it will have at the equator when the Moon passes its perigee.
The sun also causes a tidal wave in the body of the Earth, but much smaller due to the smaller gradient of its gravitational force. The joint gravitational influence of the Moon and the Sun on the Earth's body depends on their relative position. The maximum value of the tidal forces and, accordingly, the maximum amplitude of the tidal wave is achieved when all three objects are located on the same axis, i.e. in a state of so-called. syzygies(alignment), which occurs with a new moon (the Moon and the Sun in "conjunction") or with a full moon (the Moon and the Sun in "opposition"). The configuration data is illustrated in Fig. 3.3 and 3.4.
Figure 3.3 Joint influence the gravitational fields of the Moon and the Sun on the body of the Earth
in "conjunction" (on the new moon).
Figure 3.4 Joint influence of the gravitational fields of the Moon and the Sun on the Earth's body
in "opposition" (full moon).
As the Moon and the Sun deviate from the syzygy line, the tidal forces caused by them and, accordingly, the tidal waves begin to acquire an independent character, their sum decreases, and the degree of their opposition to each other increases. The opposition reaches its maximum when the angle between the directions to the Moon and the Sun from the center of the Earth is equal to 90 °, i.e. these bodies are in the "square", and the Moon, respectively, is in the phase of a quarter (first or last). In this configuration, the tidal forces of the Moon and the Sun act strictly oppositely on the shape of the Earth's body, the corresponding tidal waves on the surface are maximally spaced, and their amplitude is minimal, which is illustrated in Fig. 3.5.
Fig.3.5 Joint influence of the gravitational fields of the Moon and the Sun on the body of the Earth in the "square".
The physics of terrestrial tidal processes under the influence of the gravitational fields of the Moon and the Sun is very complex and requires taking into account a large number of parameters. On this topic has been developed big number various theories, a lot of experimental research has been done, written great amount articles, monographs and dissertations. Even today in this area there are many "blank" spots, conflicting points of view and alternative approaches. For those wishing to delve into the problems of earth tides, we can recommend fundamental research P. Melchior "Earth tides" (translated from English, M., "Mir", 1968 483 pages).
The effect of lunar gravity on the Earth is two fundamental phenomena:
- Lunar tides on the surface of the Earth - periodic changes the level of the earth's surface, synchronized with the diurnal rotation of the Earth and the movement of the Moon in its orbit.
- Superposition on the Earth's orbit of a variable component synchronized with the rotation of the Earth-Moon system around common center masses.
These phenomena are the main mechanisms of the influence of the Moon on the earth's spheres - the lithosphere, hydrosphere, earth core, atmosphere, magnetosphere, etc. More details about this are in the next chapter.
