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Title:
Stabilization of the earth's obliquity by the moon
Authors:
Laskar, J.; Joutel, F.; Robutel, P.
Affiliation:
AA(Bureau des Longitudes, Paris, France), AB(Bureau des Longitudes, Paris, France), AC(Bureau des Longitudes, Paris, France)
Publication:
Nature (ISSN 0028-0836), vol. 361, no. 6413, p. 615-617. (Nature Homepage)
Publication Date:
02/1993
Category:
Geophysics
Origin:
STI
NASA/STI Keywords:
Earth Orientation, Earth-Moon System, Orbit Perturbation, Precession, Secular Variations, Spin Stabilization
DOI:
10.1038/361615a0
Bibliographic Code:
1993Natur.361..615L

Abstract

The stability of the earth's orientation is investigated here for all possible values of the initial obliquity of the earth by integrating the equations of precession of the earth. A large chaotic zone is found which extends from 60 deg to 90 deg in obliquity. In its present state the earth avoids this chaotic zone and its obliquity is essentially stable, exhibiting only small variations of +/- 1.3 deg around the mean value of 23.3 deg. But if the moon were not present, the torque exerted on the earth would be smaller and the chaotic zone would then extend form nearly 0 deg up to about 85 deg. Thus, had the planet not acquired the moon, large variations in obliquity resulting from its chaotic behavior might have driven dramatic changes in climate. In this sense one might consider the moon to act as a potential climate regulator for the earth.
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