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Systems & Settings => Spacemaster => Topic started by: arakish on December 23, 2011, 12:58:20 AM

Title: Lunar Libration
Post by: arakish on December 23, 2011, 12:58:20 AM

Do not know if anyone has ever heard of libration.  This is the phenomenon of a planet's moon oscillating in relation to the planet, even if the moon is tidally locked to the planet.

Animation Showing Luna's Libration
(http://www.conceptvisions.net84.net/SSG/images/LunarLibration.gif)

Here is an article at wikipedia on libration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libration).  This article has the same animation as shown above.

Here is a good article on observing the lunar libration zones (http://users.telenet.be/lunar/jpeg/libratieboek.pdf) (pdf).

Just something more a GM has to consider when constructing an alien world.

rmfr

Title: Re: Lunar Libration
Post by: markc on December 23, 2011, 02:13:45 AM

Nice.
I think I am going to see that image in my sleep tonight or I should say this morning.
MDC