Anomalistic, Sidereal, Nodal month, etc

[Super**Nova]

Anomalistic, Sidereal, Nodal month, etc...

Earth's moon's anomalistic, sidereal, and nodal months all take about the same length of time to complete within a few minutes/seconds of each other. Why is that? Can one be independent of the other?

Let's say that instead of the moon's typical draconic month of 27.212220 days, it was 30.some odd days, and yet somehow the sidereal, synoidc, and anomalistic months remained as they are right now, with respect to the 5.1 degrees to the ecilptic. Can a draconic and/or anomalistic month deviate? Can any of the moon's lunar months deviate like that, or is that totally illogical? Must they stay closely related by minutes and seconds as they already are?

Are there any known moons in our system who's nodal, anomalistic months are similar to what I described? I would be a very happy person if I could grasp that. If it's illogical, what is the math to figure synodic, sidereal, anomalistic, draconic months in relation to each other?

Also, what determines an anomalistic month, when it returns to the same apogee/peregee after just 9 years? Why does it rotate like that? Similarly, the ascending and descending nodes do the same thing for the nodal months. Why aren't the nodal months and anomalistic months exactly the same?

Thanks.

 

[AndyW]

Thank you for your interest in the lunar months and their relationships. I can provide some insights into the questions you have raised.

Firstly, it is not surprising that the anomalistic, sidereal, and nodal months of the moon are all similar in length. This is because they are all based on the same astronomical events and cycles. The anomalistic month is the time it takes for the moon to return to the same point in its elliptical orbit around the Earth, the sidereal month is the time it takes for the moon to complete one orbit around the Earth with respect to the stars, and the nodal month is the time it takes for the moon to return to the same point where its orbit intersects with the ecliptic (the plane of Earth's orbit around the sun). These events are all related to each other and therefore their durations are similar.

To answer your question about the possibility of one of these lunar months deviating in length while the others remain the same, it is not physically possible. This is because these months are all based on the same underlying astronomical events and cannot occur independently of each other.

As for your question about other moons in our solar system with similar lunar months, I am not aware of any other moons with exactly the same durations for their anomalistic, sidereal, and nodal months as our moon. However, there are many moons with different orbital characteristics and therefore their lunar months may differ in length.

The math to figure out the relationships between these lunar months is complex and involves calculations based on the moon's orbit, its position relative to the Earth and the sun, and other factors. It is not possible to provide a simple formula for this, but it is something that can be calculated using astronomical software or by experts in the field.

Finally, the reason why the nodal and anomalistic months are not exactly the same is due to the influence of other bodies in our solar system, such as the sun and other planets. These bodies can affect the moon's orbit and cause slight variations in the durations of these months.

I hope this helps to answer your questions and provide a better understanding of the lunar months and their relationships. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. Thank you.