Lunar Litter Used to Reveal Moon's Love Number 6
nickynicky9doors writes: "NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has an article on the Moon's Love number. A planet's Love Number is a measure of ... 'how much a planet's surface and interior move in response to the gravitational pull of nearby bodies.' To measure the Moon's Love Number Laser pulses are directed off discarded retroreflectors leftover from missions thirty years ago."
Excellent (Score:3, Informative)
We also are reasonably confidence in the other planets' Love numbers. But we are just guessing on, say, Io and Europa. And those are cases where it'd be truely nice to know what the Love numbers are, since that helps determine the heating rates.
not litter! (Score:3, Interesting)
These reflectors are neither litter, nor discarded. They were set there quite deliberately, for the exact purpose for which they are being used - precise measurements of distance via laser pulses.
Not Fair! (Score:2, Funny)
Wait a damn minute! (Score:1)
Love is in the air (Score:2)