Moon's pull on the earth

[Jim Colyer]

If the moon's gravity is strong enough to cause the tides, why does it not rip away earth's lighter atmosphere?

Astronomy http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=2

[RascalPuff]

If the moon's gravity is strong enough to cause the tides, why does it not rip away earth's lighter atmosphere?

Astronomy http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=2

Dear Jim:
The moon effects aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric tides, indeed, these plateaus of material do indeed display heaves and sighs - as to why the more tenuous atmosphere isn't ripped away, well. I really don't know why...

(Maybe it is, and keeps being replenished by the ocean and the earth's flora and fauna?)

IMO, very good post.

Welcome to ToeQuest.

Regards,
- RP

[mkirkpatrick]

If the moon's gravity is strong enough to cause the tides, why does it not rip away earth's lighter atmosphere?

Astronomy http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=2

That's a good question Jim,btw,welcome to the toequest community,prehaps the
atmosphere is too etherial for the moon to gain purchase on?



regards michael.

[bottomlander]

If the moon's gravity is strong enough to cause the tides, why does it not rip away earth's lighter atmosphere?

We know that every molecule of the atmosphere are of higher individual speeds (actual atomic speeds) than that their group speeds (wind speeds).

The actual temperatures in the upper atmosphere are much higher than the room temperatures in the lower atmosphere. And the speeds and directions of individual air molecules are of random/statistical distribution. That means even though without the presence of the Moon, some molecules have already tried to run away from the Earth. Perhaps part of them were successful, while most of them recaptured by the Earth. I don't know the exact relative scales of the runaway speed for an object. But it seems that there is also the replenishments from the ocean water, the volcano vapor and the meteoric gas. Only when the loss is greater than the gain, then our atmosphere will gradually diminish. Just like what happened to the Mars.

So, I think, the run away really increased a little by the pull from the gravity of the moon, but not too obvious.

Best Regards. Bottomlander

[quanta07]

If the moon's gravity is strong enough to cause the tides, why does it not rip away earth's lighter atmosphere?

Welcome Jim,
Both the earth and moon have a spherical acceleration fields, 'gravity'.
If we examine a line from earth center to moon center, along this line the moons gravity has maximum effect.
Where this line intersects earth surface,
there is a reduction in intensity of acceleration at this point,
Earth 'gravity' is weakened.
This results in a 'rising' of sea level and a 'bulging' of upper atmosphere surface as the moon is directly overhead.
The presence of the moon reduces the effects of earth 'gravity', while passing overhead, creating sea swells that follow the moons orbital position, tides.
This effect is constant and slow, with no intense changes, no ripping just a bulge.
Happy Thoughts....Q7

[Cubola Zaruka]

The atmosphere is lighter, so as well as being less affected by the earth's gravity it is less affcted by the moon's gravity. The tidal effect in the atmosphere is less noticeable than the wind.

[austintorn@aol.com]

[damccut]

Have you wondered why the moon is slipping away. Without googling it to find out, I surmised that it is the effect that the sun has gravitationally during each revolution that puts it at a min and max distance from its pull. If that is true then its departure should speed up gradually until it becomes elliptical enough in its orbit to eventually crash back into the Earth. Talk about full circle; that is supposed to be how it all began.

[seoitc]

Dear Jim:
The moon effects aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric tides, indeed, these plateaus of material do indeed display heaves and sighs - as to why the more tenuous atmosphere isn't ripped away, well. I really don't know why...

(Maybe it is, and keeps being replenished by the ocean and the earth's flora and fauna?)

IMO, very good post.

Welcome to ToeQuest.

Regards,
- RP

RascalPuff you are right thanks.
China

[sillysally]

If the moon's gravity is strong enough to cause the tides, why does it not rip away earth's lighter atmosphere?

Astronomy http://jimcolyer.com/papers/entry?id=2

Why just tides? It pulls plants up from the ground too, people grow tall and we are all stretched by the moon, not just tides. I think it has to do with the weight so maybe the lighter atomosphere isn't light. It might be stuck to the rest of the atomosphere like our ears and noses. Our bodies stop growing but our ears and noses constantly stretch, I think that's because it's cartilage and our bones might have something that makes them resitant to the stretch after a while. Same with the lighter atomosphere, it stops there like bones.