Tidally locked planets
Posted: 17 Mar 2017 19:47
I saw the word "resonance" flash by on the screen a few times while I was scrolling along.. and I wondered... why are so many planets tidally locked?
If planets are in elliptical orbits, how can they remain tidally locked over time? Especially the larger heavier Gas Giants that come in very close then swing way out on the most extreme ellipses? Would not their rotation rates change through out the year? If a planet is in a highly elliptical orbit would not the star grab it and speed it up as it comes in? Slow days when closer and faster days when further out..
I would think also some orbits would freeze and thaw out planets significantly, creating some really weird tidal frictions. I know I have a really hard time remaining still on a waterbed. Also would not other nearby planets prevent tidal locking? I'm sure even tiny rocky worlds close-in to their star would never be perfectly circular in orbits even if in resonance. I wonder if larger moons around planets in Space Engine would prevent any planet at all from being tidally locked to the host star.
Lastly, it seems to me planet systems that are billions of years old would change their motions slightly, without other orbiting bodies influencing them, never staying tidally locked forever.
If planets are in elliptical orbits, how can they remain tidally locked over time? Especially the larger heavier Gas Giants that come in very close then swing way out on the most extreme ellipses? Would not their rotation rates change through out the year? If a planet is in a highly elliptical orbit would not the star grab it and speed it up as it comes in? Slow days when closer and faster days when further out..
I would think also some orbits would freeze and thaw out planets significantly, creating some really weird tidal frictions. I know I have a really hard time remaining still on a waterbed. Also would not other nearby planets prevent tidal locking? I'm sure even tiny rocky worlds close-in to their star would never be perfectly circular in orbits even if in resonance. I wonder if larger moons around planets in Space Engine would prevent any planet at all from being tidally locked to the host star.
Lastly, it seems to me planet systems that are billions of years old would change their motions slightly, without other orbiting bodies influencing them, never staying tidally locked forever.