From: Glenn Morton (glenn.morton@btinternet.com)
Date: Sat Nov 16 2002 - 16:16:47 EST
I found the following interesting passage in a recent magazine concerning
the design in the earth's orbit which is often claimed by design advocates.
The claim that a circular orbit is required for life may be wrong.
ìAt an eccentricity of 0.3, the planetís orbit would pass inside the orbital
path of Venus at perihelion and fly within 20 million miles of Mars at
aphelion. In Pollardís model, though, even when Earth drew closer to the sun
than Venus, it didnít develop a Venus-like climate. ëWater has a very high
heat capacity,î Williams says,í so the large amount of water on Earth is
slow to warm up.í And the heat wouldnít last long. As Kepler also explained,
planets on eccentric orbits travel fastest at perihelion, accelerating
furiously. ëWell before the oceans start boiling,í Williams says, ëthe
planet is racing away.í
ìAt the other end of an eccentric orbit, Earth slows down
again. But here
the climate model takes a strange and welcome turn. The planet absorbs so
much heat during its brief trip around the sun, Williams explains, that its
coldest months out by Mars are still warmer than winter months on a circular
orbit: the average global temperature is 73 degrees Fahrenheit, versus 58
degrees on Earth now. Itís not a perfectly regulated system: Some parts of
the African South American, and Australian interiors heat up to 140 degrees
at perihelion. But the extreme temperatures only last a month or two."
William Speed Weed, ìCircles of Life,î Discover, Nov. 2002, p. 44-46
glenn
see http://www.glenn.morton.btinternet.co.uk/dmd.htm
for lots of creation/evolution information
anthropology/geology/paleontology/theology\
personal stories of struggle
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