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oriel36 wrote:
>
> On Apr 21, 6:18 pm, "TR Oltrogge" <troltro...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > (2) Elapsed Time
> >
> > The earth rotates on its own axis approximately every 23 hours 56
> > minutes 4 seconds (a sidereal day). So
> > even though the observer is fixed in geographic latitude and
> > longitude his effective longitude increases
> > by 360 degrees every 23h56m4s.
>
> I still think it is remarkable that there is a large section of people
> who have actually found a way to believe the nonsense of a
> correlation between the Earth's rotation through 360 degrees and the
> value of 23 hours 56 min 04 seconds.If axial rotation is constant,and
> it has not being isolated as an independent motion to be checked ,the
> value will almost certainly be 24 hours or,in other words,it will
> nowhere near 23 hours 56 minutes 04 seconds.
How would you measure the rotation: suppose you landed on this planet
from outer space, with your own time-measuring devices (that were marked
in some totally alien units, independent of Earthlings' "hours"), and
were wondering what the rotation period of the planet was. By what
observation would you take that measurement? (Observing the apparent
position of distant stars? Observing the position of sun? Using a
Foucault pendulum at the pole?)
-dave w
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