Chaotic rotation: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
<references /> |
<references /> |
||
[[Category:Astrophysics]] |
|||
{{astronomy-stub}} |
{{astronomy-stub}} |
||
{{physics-stub}} |
{{physics-stub}} |
||
{{geology-stub}} |
|||
Revision as of 07:46, 4 June 2015
Chaotic rotation involves the irregular and unpredictable rotation of an astronomical body. Unlike the Earth's rotation, a chaotic rotation may not have a fixed axis or period. Because of the conservation of angular momentum, chaotic rotation is not seen in objects that are spherically symmetric or well isolated from gravitational interaction, but is the result of the interactions within a system of orbiting bodies, similar to those associated with orbital resonance.
Examples of chaotic rotation include Hyperion,[1] a moon of Saturn which rotates so unpredictably that the Cassini probe could not be reliably scheduled to pass by unexplored regions,[2] and several moons of Pluto including Nix, Hydra, and possibly Styx and Kerberos. According to Mark R. Snowalter, author of a recent study,[3] "Nix can flip its entire pole. It could actually be possible to spend a day on Nix in which the sun rises in the east and sets in the north. It is almost random-looking in the way it rotates."[4]
References
- ^ Wisdom, J.; Peale, S.J.; Mignard, F. (1984). "The chaotic rotation of Hyperion". Icarus. 58 (2): 137–152. Bibcode:1984Icar...58..137W. doi:10.1016/0019-1035(84)90032-0.
- ^ Kelly Fiveash (2015-05-30). "It's not over 'til Saturn's spongy moon sings: Cassini probe set for final Hyperion fly-by". The Register.
- ^ M. R. Showalter, D. P. Hamilton. "Resonant interactions and chaotic rotation of Pluto's small moons". Nature. 522: 45–49. doi:10.1038/nature14469.
- ^ Kenneth Chang (2015-06-03). "Astronomers Describe Chaotic Dance of Pluto's Moons". New York Times.
 | This astronomy-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This physics-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This geology article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |