At 03:20 AM 5/10/2003, asimovd@aol.com wrote:
I wish someone would explain tides to me. It makes sense that the side of the earth facing the moon would have a water bulge, but I've never really understood why the opposite side of the earth has one, too.
I saw the calculations for this about 25 years ago, but I don't remember them. The astro book "Horizons" gives this description "There is also a bulge on the side away from the Moon, which develops because the moon pulls more strongly on the Earth's center than the far side. Thus the moon pulls the Earth away from the oceans, which flow into a bulge on the far side."
The antipodal bulges are usually depicted as about the same size. Is this close to accurate? If so, can someone tell me why?
I think so, to be in equilibrium.