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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / What would happen if the Earth-facing side on the moon were like a mirror?
« on: 11/06/2012 15:48:44 »
Hi all,
New to the forum and hitting you up with a question already!
I'm writing a short scifi piece and I need some thoughts on the possible side-effects of having a moon where the facing side is completely covered in reflective material.
In my philosophy, a combination of earth-shine and sunlight would mean the moon is pretty-much in a constant state of being full and a lot brighter than a regular full moon would be under non-reflective circumstances.
Forgetting the "moon madness" psychology of it, what are the other possible side effects of this? Would this have any impact on, say, the tides? Vegetation growth? Would the whole mass of the moon be more susceptible to a photon impact "push", like a solar sail?
I acknowledge by ignorance in this, and seek your sage wisdom.
Regards,
MoZ
New to the forum and hitting you up with a question already!
I'm writing a short scifi piece and I need some thoughts on the possible side-effects of having a moon where the facing side is completely covered in reflective material.
In my philosophy, a combination of earth-shine and sunlight would mean the moon is pretty-much in a constant state of being full and a lot brighter than a regular full moon would be under non-reflective circumstances.
Forgetting the "moon madness" psychology of it, what are the other possible side effects of this? Would this have any impact on, say, the tides? Vegetation growth? Would the whole mass of the moon be more susceptible to a photon impact "push", like a solar sail?
I acknowledge by ignorance in this, and seek your sage wisdom.
Regards,
MoZ