- #1
chuligan
- 8
- 0
I want to compute the precession of the Moon's orbital plane, sometimes called as the precession of nodes.
I assume simple harmonic motion;
the Moon orbit lies in a plane X-Y, so it oscillates along z:
z'' = -kz
By definition k = w^2; and we know already: w = 2pi/18.6y; because the period of precession is 18.6 years.
Therefore: k = (2pi/18.6)^2 = 0.114 1/y^2 = 1.146e-16 1/s^2
But what is this number?
I assume simple harmonic motion;
the Moon orbit lies in a plane X-Y, so it oscillates along z:
z'' = -kz
By definition k = w^2; and we know already: w = 2pi/18.6y; because the period of precession is 18.6 years.
Therefore: k = (2pi/18.6)^2 = 0.114 1/y^2 = 1.146e-16 1/s^2
But what is this number?