Earth - Rotation

  1. How much would we have weighed on Earth when its day was only 18 hours long?
  2. Was the tilt of the Earth's axis ever larger than 23 1/2 degrees in the past?
  3. What is the cause of the Chandler Wobble?
  4. Has El Nino really slowed down the rotation of the Earth?
  5. Has the Earth's rotation ever speeded up in the past?
  6. Does the rotation of the Earth affect the way water goes down a drain in the North and South Hemispheres?
  7. What is Chandler Wobble caused by and how well can it be predicted?
  8. If the Earth rotates at 1000 miles per hour, why don't shadows move real fast?
  9. What things influence the wobble of the earth's axis?
  10. What is the speed of the Earth's rotation?
  11. Is the Earth's atmosphere thicker at the equator due to rotation?
  12. What would happen if the rotation axis of the Earth suddenly changes?
  13. What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning?
  14. Can you slow Earth's rotation artificially?
  15. Did the Earth rotate faster in the past?
  16. Does the Earth wobble as it spins?
  17. Will the equinoxes and solstices switch places in 13,000 years because of the precession of the Earth's rotation axis?
  18. What effect did the Moon have on the Earth 900 million years ago when it was 21,250 miles closer?
  19. By how much does the Earth wobble?

 

All answers are provided by Dr. Sten Odenwald (NASA/Raytheon)