# Illogic of Frozen Moon Theory **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illogic-of-frozen-moon-theory/120479 "2002-07-24T00:22:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illogic-of-frozen-moon-theory/120479/21 "2002-07-24T22:30:03Z")
**scotth** , keep in mind that the Earth hasn’t always been rotating at the same rate, either, so a geosynchronous orbit would be lower then than it is today. Of course, this still doesn’t get the Moon down to the surface of the planet, but it gets it a little closer. And the Earth would lock to the Moon quicker than to the Sun, since the Moon’s tides are about twice as strong, but it would still take longer than the lifetime of the solar system. None of the other planets would be able to lock to moons, since they have more smaller moons. Venus is in the process of becomming locked to the Sun, but I don’t know how long that’s expected to take. ---
**Author:** ![scotth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@scotth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotth)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illogic-of-frozen-moon-theory/120479/22 "2002-07-24T23:03:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\ ***scotth** , keep in mind that the Earth hasn’t always been rotating at the same rate, either, so a geosynchronous orbit would be lower then than it is today. Of course, this still doesn’t get the Moon down to the surface of the planet, but it gets it a little closer. > \*\* I did have that in mind, but left it out for simplicity. I did include that fact in the email I sent to author of the paper. It is reassuring that neither you nor the Bad Astronomer showed me that I had my foot completely in one or orifice or another. The explanations were made without outside reference. I had read about energy convservation and the basic tidal effects, but the rest about the transfer of energy between the bodies was deduced on the spot. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illogic-of-frozen-moon-theory/120479/23 "2002-07-24T23:13:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Actually the only moon in the Solar System known not to be in synchronous rotation is Hyperion I thought the 2 mars ‘moons’ were not locked mainly due to their small size. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illogic-of-frozen-moon-theory/120479/24 "2002-07-25T02:39:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MonkeyMensch \* > \*\*To the **OP** : The Earth’s rotational speed is slowing down, too, from the same mechanism that produced the Moon’s synchronous behavior. Eventually, there will be just one side of the Earth that faces the Moon. > > To **Hari Seldon** : The tidal bulge that the Moon produces in the Earth and in its oceans is not lined up directly underneath the sub-lunar point. (I’m ignoring for the moment Solar influences.) Friction between the Earth and the tidal bulge “drags” it in the direction of the Earth’s rotation. With the tidal bulge out ahead of the sub-lunar point there is a component of gravitational force tending to pull the Moon forward in its orbit. Increasing the energy of an orbiting object increases its orbital radius. > > Did this help? \*\* Yes, that is the kind of explanation I wanted. Interesting too. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illogic-of-frozen-moon-theory/120479/25 "2002-07-25T03:04:50Z")
I could not find a source for the statement that the moon was originally only 1/10 as far away, but it is not a crackpot theory. I heard it on Quirks and Quarks, the respected Canadian science program (CBC, radio 1, Saturdays noon-1). It was from a guy who wrote a book on what the earth would be like without a moon and was understood not to be a matter of any controversary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/illogic-of-frozen-moon-theory/120479.md?page=1)