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Synchronous rotationIn astronomy, synchronous rotation is a planetological term describing a body orbiting another, where the orbiting body takes as long to rotate on its axis as it does to make one orbit; ...
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The Moon is in synchronous rotation, which means it rotates about its axis in about the same time it takes to orbit the Earth. This results in it keeping nearly the same face turned towards the Earth at all times.
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Tidally locking (or synchronous rotation of the star and planet) may eventually cause the destruction of a life-sustaining atmosphere through condensation on the cold, perpetually dark side of the planet.
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The same side of the moon always faces the Earth; it is in a synchronous rotation with the Earth. The Moon's orbit is expanding over time as it slows down (the Earth is also slowing down as it loses energy).
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( Pluto, however, is the only planet that also is in synchronous rotation to its moon, Charon). Since our moon is so large in proportion with the earth, it's exerting its own tidal pull - witness the tides of the ocean.
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Prior to 1965, astronomers believed that Mercury's sidereal rotation matched its orbital period of 88 days ( synchronous rotation). This belief was reinforced by the chance coincidence of six 58.
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Captured rotation. Rotation of an object that spins at the same rate as that object takes to orbit another object. Sometimes referred to as synchronous rotation. The Moon is a good example of an object that has captured rotation.
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Astronomers were reluctant to drop the synchronous rotation theory and proposed alternative mechanisms such as powerful heat-distributing winds to explain the observations, ...
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These two moons are shaped irregularly and are probably asteroids that were caught by Mars' gravitational pull a long time ago. Neither is large enough to become spherical, and both have synchronous rotations enabling them to always keep the same ...
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8 days, consistent with " synchronous rotation," the stars perpetually showing the same "faces" to each other. The pair illuminates the local interstellar dust to create a huge faint reflection nebula 80 light years across.
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See also: Rotation, Orbit, Earth, Sun, Solar

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