Why would it be unfortunate for a day length to vary in a planet; other than that Java API developers need to...











up vote
3
down vote

favorite












Quoting from the Java Docs:




Unfortunately, as the Earth rotates the length of the day varies. In
addition, over time the average length of the day is getting longer as
the Earth slows.




I am building a new planet and I was wondering exactly this, should the day lengths be fixed or should they vary as my planet rotates?



I do not care about the developers in my planet, are there any reasons to say Unfortunately before the sentence as the .. rotates the length of the day varies.? (I have not decided the name of my planet yet, hence the ...










share|improve this question









New contributor




Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1




    The length of a solar day (the time between two noons) varies during the year according with the equation of time. Moreover, one second of time was defined so that the average solar day computed for January 1st 1900 was exactly 24 * 60 * 60 = 86400 seconds. Unfortunately, the tidal forces of the Moon slow the rotation down, so that now we need to add one extra second every 18 months or so in order to keep civil time aligned with actual midnight and noon. The point of "unfortunately" is to convey the idea that nothing is uniform or forever.
    – AlexP
    2 hours ago










  • @AlexP I still do not understand, why is not being uniform unfortunate? I understand earthquakes are unfortunate for example, it costs lives. But why is it unfortunate to add an extra second every 18 months? On the contrary, it is cool, keeps you fresh and alive!
    – Koray Tugay
    2 hours ago










  • This is "unfortunate" because it is in human nature to seek ideal harmony. Number 86,400 looks perfectly round. Number 86,400.002 looks like an unfortunate mistake.
    – Alexander
    7 mins ago















up vote
3
down vote

favorite












Quoting from the Java Docs:




Unfortunately, as the Earth rotates the length of the day varies. In
addition, over time the average length of the day is getting longer as
the Earth slows.




I am building a new planet and I was wondering exactly this, should the day lengths be fixed or should they vary as my planet rotates?



I do not care about the developers in my planet, are there any reasons to say Unfortunately before the sentence as the .. rotates the length of the day varies.? (I have not decided the name of my planet yet, hence the ...










share|improve this question









New contributor




Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
















  • 1




    The length of a solar day (the time between two noons) varies during the year according with the equation of time. Moreover, one second of time was defined so that the average solar day computed for January 1st 1900 was exactly 24 * 60 * 60 = 86400 seconds. Unfortunately, the tidal forces of the Moon slow the rotation down, so that now we need to add one extra second every 18 months or so in order to keep civil time aligned with actual midnight and noon. The point of "unfortunately" is to convey the idea that nothing is uniform or forever.
    – AlexP
    2 hours ago










  • @AlexP I still do not understand, why is not being uniform unfortunate? I understand earthquakes are unfortunate for example, it costs lives. But why is it unfortunate to add an extra second every 18 months? On the contrary, it is cool, keeps you fresh and alive!
    – Koray Tugay
    2 hours ago










  • This is "unfortunate" because it is in human nature to seek ideal harmony. Number 86,400 looks perfectly round. Number 86,400.002 looks like an unfortunate mistake.
    – Alexander
    7 mins ago













up vote
3
down vote

favorite









up vote
3
down vote

favorite











Quoting from the Java Docs:




Unfortunately, as the Earth rotates the length of the day varies. In
addition, over time the average length of the day is getting longer as
the Earth slows.




I am building a new planet and I was wondering exactly this, should the day lengths be fixed or should they vary as my planet rotates?



I do not care about the developers in my planet, are there any reasons to say Unfortunately before the sentence as the .. rotates the length of the day varies.? (I have not decided the name of my planet yet, hence the ...










share|improve this question









New contributor




Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











Quoting from the Java Docs:




Unfortunately, as the Earth rotates the length of the day varies. In
addition, over time the average length of the day is getting longer as
the Earth slows.




I am building a new planet and I was wondering exactly this, should the day lengths be fixed or should they vary as my planet rotates?



I do not care about the developers in my planet, are there any reasons to say Unfortunately before the sentence as the .. rotates the length of the day varies.? (I have not decided the name of my planet yet, hence the ...







orbital-mechanics time day-night






share|improve this question









New contributor




Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











share|improve this question









New contributor




Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 1 hour ago









kingledion

72k24243421




72k24243421






New contributor




Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 2 hours ago









Koray Tugay

1163




1163




New contributor




Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Koray Tugay is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








  • 1




    The length of a solar day (the time between two noons) varies during the year according with the equation of time. Moreover, one second of time was defined so that the average solar day computed for January 1st 1900 was exactly 24 * 60 * 60 = 86400 seconds. Unfortunately, the tidal forces of the Moon slow the rotation down, so that now we need to add one extra second every 18 months or so in order to keep civil time aligned with actual midnight and noon. The point of "unfortunately" is to convey the idea that nothing is uniform or forever.
    – AlexP
    2 hours ago










  • @AlexP I still do not understand, why is not being uniform unfortunate? I understand earthquakes are unfortunate for example, it costs lives. But why is it unfortunate to add an extra second every 18 months? On the contrary, it is cool, keeps you fresh and alive!
    – Koray Tugay
    2 hours ago










  • This is "unfortunate" because it is in human nature to seek ideal harmony. Number 86,400 looks perfectly round. Number 86,400.002 looks like an unfortunate mistake.
    – Alexander
    7 mins ago














  • 1




    The length of a solar day (the time between two noons) varies during the year according with the equation of time. Moreover, one second of time was defined so that the average solar day computed for January 1st 1900 was exactly 24 * 60 * 60 = 86400 seconds. Unfortunately, the tidal forces of the Moon slow the rotation down, so that now we need to add one extra second every 18 months or so in order to keep civil time aligned with actual midnight and noon. The point of "unfortunately" is to convey the idea that nothing is uniform or forever.
    – AlexP
    2 hours ago










  • @AlexP I still do not understand, why is not being uniform unfortunate? I understand earthquakes are unfortunate for example, it costs lives. But why is it unfortunate to add an extra second every 18 months? On the contrary, it is cool, keeps you fresh and alive!
    – Koray Tugay
    2 hours ago










  • This is "unfortunate" because it is in human nature to seek ideal harmony. Number 86,400 looks perfectly round. Number 86,400.002 looks like an unfortunate mistake.
    – Alexander
    7 mins ago








1




1




The length of a solar day (the time between two noons) varies during the year according with the equation of time. Moreover, one second of time was defined so that the average solar day computed for January 1st 1900 was exactly 24 * 60 * 60 = 86400 seconds. Unfortunately, the tidal forces of the Moon slow the rotation down, so that now we need to add one extra second every 18 months or so in order to keep civil time aligned with actual midnight and noon. The point of "unfortunately" is to convey the idea that nothing is uniform or forever.
– AlexP
2 hours ago




The length of a solar day (the time between two noons) varies during the year according with the equation of time. Moreover, one second of time was defined so that the average solar day computed for January 1st 1900 was exactly 24 * 60 * 60 = 86400 seconds. Unfortunately, the tidal forces of the Moon slow the rotation down, so that now we need to add one extra second every 18 months or so in order to keep civil time aligned with actual midnight and noon. The point of "unfortunately" is to convey the idea that nothing is uniform or forever.
– AlexP
2 hours ago












@AlexP I still do not understand, why is not being uniform unfortunate? I understand earthquakes are unfortunate for example, it costs lives. But why is it unfortunate to add an extra second every 18 months? On the contrary, it is cool, keeps you fresh and alive!
– Koray Tugay
2 hours ago




@AlexP I still do not understand, why is not being uniform unfortunate? I understand earthquakes are unfortunate for example, it costs lives. But why is it unfortunate to add an extra second every 18 months? On the contrary, it is cool, keeps you fresh and alive!
– Koray Tugay
2 hours ago












This is "unfortunate" because it is in human nature to seek ideal harmony. Number 86,400 looks perfectly round. Number 86,400.002 looks like an unfortunate mistake.
– Alexander
7 mins ago




This is "unfortunate" because it is in human nature to seek ideal harmony. Number 86,400 looks perfectly round. Number 86,400.002 looks like an unfortunate mistake.
– Alexander
7 mins ago










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
4
down vote













It really bugs them



What you've probably misunderstood is what the term "Java developer" actually denotes. Java developers are a small mammal similar to civet cats in Indonesia both in physical characteristics and how they are used by humans. They remove bugs from and consume carefully managed Java beans, passing out the undigested remainder into the soil to become source-trees, which is how their common appellation is derived.



As a species Java developers are creatures of habit that are extremely easily disturbed, highly sensitive to changes in their (runtime) environment and typically exhibit signs of OCD. They are so dependent on routine that merely adding or subtracting milliseconds to daytime(and by logical extension, working hours) is enough to cause a marked decline in morale and actual output. This is why in captivity you'll often see them living in production frameworks where their view is carefully modeled and controlled.



Adding a second every 1.5 years or so puts their feeble circulatory systems and nearly nonexistent tolerance under immense stress and is predicted to cause a disastrous decline in their population. This is why it is quietly labelled as "unfortunate" in reference material written by the people who handle Java developers






share|improve this answer






























    up vote
    3
    down vote













    Actually, I'd argue the opposite; it would be unfortunate in the long term (in geological scales) for life if the length of a day wasn't lengthening.



    The primary reason why the length of the day is increasing is because of Tidal Friction, which is caused by the moon. The moon is also getting gradually further away from the earth, and will one day leave Earth's orbit. That's not anticipated to happen before the earth becomes uninhabitable due to the sun increasing in intensity and size, but if it was, it would be a very bad thing for life on earth.



    For one thing, the orbit of the moon generates tides and other changes which (aside from seasonal factors) create diversity in the ecosystem that certain animals take advantage of, or at least work to the cycles of. Also, it's thought that the Earth would wobble more without the moon holding it in place, so to speak. The earth already wobbles a little on its axis, causing the Sahara to transition between food basket and desert every few tens of thousands of years, but without the moon it's thought that the earth could eventually drift into a 3 dimensional rotation, creating all sorts of havoc on the surface to different biomes.



    In short, the moon does a lot to stabilise the earth while introducing cycles that occur more frequently than seasons. It does that however at a price; tidal friction.



    So, it's arguable that most planets with an environment stable enough to form intelligent life, life that can determine its relative fortune according to the environment, probably have a moon. That moon (in turn) is gently robbing the planet of angular momentum, assuming a large body of water. In such a case, intelligent life everywhere is probably experiencing longer and longer days.



    I'd argue the best solution is a change in the Java Docs; Unfortunately should be changed to Fortunately.






    share|improve this answer




























      up vote
      1
      down vote













      It is unfortunate, because we don't get to stare at a giant moon all day



      If the planet had a moon, and it had a fixed day length, that would mean that it is already tidally locked to its moon. Our moon is tidally locked to Earth, but the reverse is not true. If Earth were also tidally locked to the moon, then day length would no longer change, and one side of the Earth would always be able to see the moon.



      Furthermore, in order for two objects to tidally lock each other before the sun turns into a red giant and expands to consume them, they need to be sort of equal in size. That is why Pluto and Charon are locked to each other, but Earth and the moon are not. So in addition to seeing a moon in the sky all day, you would see a HUGE moon in the sky all day. That would be awesome!



      Unfortunately, the other side of the Earth would not see the moon at all. Not everyone gets to be a winner.






      share|improve this answer




























        up vote
        0
        down vote













        The earth change in day's length is so small we don't have to care about it, except in real time network systems. Since 1972 (46 years ago) we had 27 seconds of change. Almost one every two years. Any pre internet society would not notice it. So, if you are not a developer...



        To make this a issue you need to accelerate the pacing a lot. Say... 10 seconds a year. In 6 years the day would get a minute long, and 360 years would increase it one hour. This would trigger big climate changes and be a major concern.



        But to justify this change you would need some radical cosmic event, like the planet capture a errant comet as a new moon. And that would cause some other concerns, like extreme tides too.






        share|improve this answer





















          Your Answer





          StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function () {
          return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function () {
          StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix) {
          StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["$", "$"], ["\\(","\\)"]]);
          });
          });
          }, "mathjax-editing");

          StackExchange.ready(function() {
          var channelOptions = {
          tags: "".split(" "),
          id: "579"
          };
          initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

          StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
          // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
          if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
          StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
          createEditor();
          });
          }
          else {
          createEditor();
          }
          });

          function createEditor() {
          StackExchange.prepareEditor({
          heartbeatType: 'answer',
          convertImagesToLinks: false,
          noModals: true,
          showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
          reputationToPostImages: null,
          bindNavPrevention: true,
          postfix: "",
          imageUploader: {
          brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
          contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
          allowUrls: true
          },
          noCode: true, onDemand: true,
          discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
          ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
          });


          }
          });






          Koray Tugay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










           

          draft saved


          draft discarded


















          StackExchange.ready(
          function () {
          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f131533%2fwhy-would-it-be-unfortunate-for-a-day-length-to-vary-in-a-planet-other-than-tha%23new-answer', 'question_page');
          }
          );

          Post as a guest















          Required, but never shown

























          4 Answers
          4






          active

          oldest

          votes








          4 Answers
          4






          active

          oldest

          votes









          active

          oldest

          votes






          active

          oldest

          votes








          up vote
          4
          down vote













          It really bugs them



          What you've probably misunderstood is what the term "Java developer" actually denotes. Java developers are a small mammal similar to civet cats in Indonesia both in physical characteristics and how they are used by humans. They remove bugs from and consume carefully managed Java beans, passing out the undigested remainder into the soil to become source-trees, which is how their common appellation is derived.



          As a species Java developers are creatures of habit that are extremely easily disturbed, highly sensitive to changes in their (runtime) environment and typically exhibit signs of OCD. They are so dependent on routine that merely adding or subtracting milliseconds to daytime(and by logical extension, working hours) is enough to cause a marked decline in morale and actual output. This is why in captivity you'll often see them living in production frameworks where their view is carefully modeled and controlled.



          Adding a second every 1.5 years or so puts their feeble circulatory systems and nearly nonexistent tolerance under immense stress and is predicted to cause a disastrous decline in their population. This is why it is quietly labelled as "unfortunate" in reference material written by the people who handle Java developers






          share|improve this answer



























            up vote
            4
            down vote













            It really bugs them



            What you've probably misunderstood is what the term "Java developer" actually denotes. Java developers are a small mammal similar to civet cats in Indonesia both in physical characteristics and how they are used by humans. They remove bugs from and consume carefully managed Java beans, passing out the undigested remainder into the soil to become source-trees, which is how their common appellation is derived.



            As a species Java developers are creatures of habit that are extremely easily disturbed, highly sensitive to changes in their (runtime) environment and typically exhibit signs of OCD. They are so dependent on routine that merely adding or subtracting milliseconds to daytime(and by logical extension, working hours) is enough to cause a marked decline in morale and actual output. This is why in captivity you'll often see them living in production frameworks where their view is carefully modeled and controlled.



            Adding a second every 1.5 years or so puts their feeble circulatory systems and nearly nonexistent tolerance under immense stress and is predicted to cause a disastrous decline in their population. This is why it is quietly labelled as "unfortunate" in reference material written by the people who handle Java developers






            share|improve this answer

























              up vote
              4
              down vote










              up vote
              4
              down vote









              It really bugs them



              What you've probably misunderstood is what the term "Java developer" actually denotes. Java developers are a small mammal similar to civet cats in Indonesia both in physical characteristics and how they are used by humans. They remove bugs from and consume carefully managed Java beans, passing out the undigested remainder into the soil to become source-trees, which is how their common appellation is derived.



              As a species Java developers are creatures of habit that are extremely easily disturbed, highly sensitive to changes in their (runtime) environment and typically exhibit signs of OCD. They are so dependent on routine that merely adding or subtracting milliseconds to daytime(and by logical extension, working hours) is enough to cause a marked decline in morale and actual output. This is why in captivity you'll often see them living in production frameworks where their view is carefully modeled and controlled.



              Adding a second every 1.5 years or so puts their feeble circulatory systems and nearly nonexistent tolerance under immense stress and is predicted to cause a disastrous decline in their population. This is why it is quietly labelled as "unfortunate" in reference material written by the people who handle Java developers






              share|improve this answer














              It really bugs them



              What you've probably misunderstood is what the term "Java developer" actually denotes. Java developers are a small mammal similar to civet cats in Indonesia both in physical characteristics and how they are used by humans. They remove bugs from and consume carefully managed Java beans, passing out the undigested remainder into the soil to become source-trees, which is how their common appellation is derived.



              As a species Java developers are creatures of habit that are extremely easily disturbed, highly sensitive to changes in their (runtime) environment and typically exhibit signs of OCD. They are so dependent on routine that merely adding or subtracting milliseconds to daytime(and by logical extension, working hours) is enough to cause a marked decline in morale and actual output. This is why in captivity you'll often see them living in production frameworks where their view is carefully modeled and controlled.



              Adding a second every 1.5 years or so puts their feeble circulatory systems and nearly nonexistent tolerance under immense stress and is predicted to cause a disastrous decline in their population. This is why it is quietly labelled as "unfortunate" in reference material written by the people who handle Java developers







              share|improve this answer














              share|improve this answer



              share|improve this answer








              edited 1 hour ago

























              answered 1 hour ago









              nullpointer

              3,5921728




              3,5921728






















                  up vote
                  3
                  down vote













                  Actually, I'd argue the opposite; it would be unfortunate in the long term (in geological scales) for life if the length of a day wasn't lengthening.



                  The primary reason why the length of the day is increasing is because of Tidal Friction, which is caused by the moon. The moon is also getting gradually further away from the earth, and will one day leave Earth's orbit. That's not anticipated to happen before the earth becomes uninhabitable due to the sun increasing in intensity and size, but if it was, it would be a very bad thing for life on earth.



                  For one thing, the orbit of the moon generates tides and other changes which (aside from seasonal factors) create diversity in the ecosystem that certain animals take advantage of, or at least work to the cycles of. Also, it's thought that the Earth would wobble more without the moon holding it in place, so to speak. The earth already wobbles a little on its axis, causing the Sahara to transition between food basket and desert every few tens of thousands of years, but without the moon it's thought that the earth could eventually drift into a 3 dimensional rotation, creating all sorts of havoc on the surface to different biomes.



                  In short, the moon does a lot to stabilise the earth while introducing cycles that occur more frequently than seasons. It does that however at a price; tidal friction.



                  So, it's arguable that most planets with an environment stable enough to form intelligent life, life that can determine its relative fortune according to the environment, probably have a moon. That moon (in turn) is gently robbing the planet of angular momentum, assuming a large body of water. In such a case, intelligent life everywhere is probably experiencing longer and longer days.



                  I'd argue the best solution is a change in the Java Docs; Unfortunately should be changed to Fortunately.






                  share|improve this answer

























                    up vote
                    3
                    down vote













                    Actually, I'd argue the opposite; it would be unfortunate in the long term (in geological scales) for life if the length of a day wasn't lengthening.



                    The primary reason why the length of the day is increasing is because of Tidal Friction, which is caused by the moon. The moon is also getting gradually further away from the earth, and will one day leave Earth's orbit. That's not anticipated to happen before the earth becomes uninhabitable due to the sun increasing in intensity and size, but if it was, it would be a very bad thing for life on earth.



                    For one thing, the orbit of the moon generates tides and other changes which (aside from seasonal factors) create diversity in the ecosystem that certain animals take advantage of, or at least work to the cycles of. Also, it's thought that the Earth would wobble more without the moon holding it in place, so to speak. The earth already wobbles a little on its axis, causing the Sahara to transition between food basket and desert every few tens of thousands of years, but without the moon it's thought that the earth could eventually drift into a 3 dimensional rotation, creating all sorts of havoc on the surface to different biomes.



                    In short, the moon does a lot to stabilise the earth while introducing cycles that occur more frequently than seasons. It does that however at a price; tidal friction.



                    So, it's arguable that most planets with an environment stable enough to form intelligent life, life that can determine its relative fortune according to the environment, probably have a moon. That moon (in turn) is gently robbing the planet of angular momentum, assuming a large body of water. In such a case, intelligent life everywhere is probably experiencing longer and longer days.



                    I'd argue the best solution is a change in the Java Docs; Unfortunately should be changed to Fortunately.






                    share|improve this answer























                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote










                      up vote
                      3
                      down vote









                      Actually, I'd argue the opposite; it would be unfortunate in the long term (in geological scales) for life if the length of a day wasn't lengthening.



                      The primary reason why the length of the day is increasing is because of Tidal Friction, which is caused by the moon. The moon is also getting gradually further away from the earth, and will one day leave Earth's orbit. That's not anticipated to happen before the earth becomes uninhabitable due to the sun increasing in intensity and size, but if it was, it would be a very bad thing for life on earth.



                      For one thing, the orbit of the moon generates tides and other changes which (aside from seasonal factors) create diversity in the ecosystem that certain animals take advantage of, or at least work to the cycles of. Also, it's thought that the Earth would wobble more without the moon holding it in place, so to speak. The earth already wobbles a little on its axis, causing the Sahara to transition between food basket and desert every few tens of thousands of years, but without the moon it's thought that the earth could eventually drift into a 3 dimensional rotation, creating all sorts of havoc on the surface to different biomes.



                      In short, the moon does a lot to stabilise the earth while introducing cycles that occur more frequently than seasons. It does that however at a price; tidal friction.



                      So, it's arguable that most planets with an environment stable enough to form intelligent life, life that can determine its relative fortune according to the environment, probably have a moon. That moon (in turn) is gently robbing the planet of angular momentum, assuming a large body of water. In such a case, intelligent life everywhere is probably experiencing longer and longer days.



                      I'd argue the best solution is a change in the Java Docs; Unfortunately should be changed to Fortunately.






                      share|improve this answer












                      Actually, I'd argue the opposite; it would be unfortunate in the long term (in geological scales) for life if the length of a day wasn't lengthening.



                      The primary reason why the length of the day is increasing is because of Tidal Friction, which is caused by the moon. The moon is also getting gradually further away from the earth, and will one day leave Earth's orbit. That's not anticipated to happen before the earth becomes uninhabitable due to the sun increasing in intensity and size, but if it was, it would be a very bad thing for life on earth.



                      For one thing, the orbit of the moon generates tides and other changes which (aside from seasonal factors) create diversity in the ecosystem that certain animals take advantage of, or at least work to the cycles of. Also, it's thought that the Earth would wobble more without the moon holding it in place, so to speak. The earth already wobbles a little on its axis, causing the Sahara to transition between food basket and desert every few tens of thousands of years, but without the moon it's thought that the earth could eventually drift into a 3 dimensional rotation, creating all sorts of havoc on the surface to different biomes.



                      In short, the moon does a lot to stabilise the earth while introducing cycles that occur more frequently than seasons. It does that however at a price; tidal friction.



                      So, it's arguable that most planets with an environment stable enough to form intelligent life, life that can determine its relative fortune according to the environment, probably have a moon. That moon (in turn) is gently robbing the planet of angular momentum, assuming a large body of water. In such a case, intelligent life everywhere is probably experiencing longer and longer days.



                      I'd argue the best solution is a change in the Java Docs; Unfortunately should be changed to Fortunately.







                      share|improve this answer












                      share|improve this answer



                      share|improve this answer










                      answered 2 hours ago









                      Tim B II

                      23.5k651101




                      23.5k651101






















                          up vote
                          1
                          down vote













                          It is unfortunate, because we don't get to stare at a giant moon all day



                          If the planet had a moon, and it had a fixed day length, that would mean that it is already tidally locked to its moon. Our moon is tidally locked to Earth, but the reverse is not true. If Earth were also tidally locked to the moon, then day length would no longer change, and one side of the Earth would always be able to see the moon.



                          Furthermore, in order for two objects to tidally lock each other before the sun turns into a red giant and expands to consume them, they need to be sort of equal in size. That is why Pluto and Charon are locked to each other, but Earth and the moon are not. So in addition to seeing a moon in the sky all day, you would see a HUGE moon in the sky all day. That would be awesome!



                          Unfortunately, the other side of the Earth would not see the moon at all. Not everyone gets to be a winner.






                          share|improve this answer

























                            up vote
                            1
                            down vote













                            It is unfortunate, because we don't get to stare at a giant moon all day



                            If the planet had a moon, and it had a fixed day length, that would mean that it is already tidally locked to its moon. Our moon is tidally locked to Earth, but the reverse is not true. If Earth were also tidally locked to the moon, then day length would no longer change, and one side of the Earth would always be able to see the moon.



                            Furthermore, in order for two objects to tidally lock each other before the sun turns into a red giant and expands to consume them, they need to be sort of equal in size. That is why Pluto and Charon are locked to each other, but Earth and the moon are not. So in addition to seeing a moon in the sky all day, you would see a HUGE moon in the sky all day. That would be awesome!



                            Unfortunately, the other side of the Earth would not see the moon at all. Not everyone gets to be a winner.






                            share|improve this answer























                              up vote
                              1
                              down vote










                              up vote
                              1
                              down vote









                              It is unfortunate, because we don't get to stare at a giant moon all day



                              If the planet had a moon, and it had a fixed day length, that would mean that it is already tidally locked to its moon. Our moon is tidally locked to Earth, but the reverse is not true. If Earth were also tidally locked to the moon, then day length would no longer change, and one side of the Earth would always be able to see the moon.



                              Furthermore, in order for two objects to tidally lock each other before the sun turns into a red giant and expands to consume them, they need to be sort of equal in size. That is why Pluto and Charon are locked to each other, but Earth and the moon are not. So in addition to seeing a moon in the sky all day, you would see a HUGE moon in the sky all day. That would be awesome!



                              Unfortunately, the other side of the Earth would not see the moon at all. Not everyone gets to be a winner.






                              share|improve this answer












                              It is unfortunate, because we don't get to stare at a giant moon all day



                              If the planet had a moon, and it had a fixed day length, that would mean that it is already tidally locked to its moon. Our moon is tidally locked to Earth, but the reverse is not true. If Earth were also tidally locked to the moon, then day length would no longer change, and one side of the Earth would always be able to see the moon.



                              Furthermore, in order for two objects to tidally lock each other before the sun turns into a red giant and expands to consume them, they need to be sort of equal in size. That is why Pluto and Charon are locked to each other, but Earth and the moon are not. So in addition to seeing a moon in the sky all day, you would see a HUGE moon in the sky all day. That would be awesome!



                              Unfortunately, the other side of the Earth would not see the moon at all. Not everyone gets to be a winner.







                              share|improve this answer












                              share|improve this answer



                              share|improve this answer










                              answered 1 hour ago









                              kingledion

                              72k24243421




                              72k24243421






















                                  up vote
                                  0
                                  down vote













                                  The earth change in day's length is so small we don't have to care about it, except in real time network systems. Since 1972 (46 years ago) we had 27 seconds of change. Almost one every two years. Any pre internet society would not notice it. So, if you are not a developer...



                                  To make this a issue you need to accelerate the pacing a lot. Say... 10 seconds a year. In 6 years the day would get a minute long, and 360 years would increase it one hour. This would trigger big climate changes and be a major concern.



                                  But to justify this change you would need some radical cosmic event, like the planet capture a errant comet as a new moon. And that would cause some other concerns, like extreme tides too.






                                  share|improve this answer

























                                    up vote
                                    0
                                    down vote













                                    The earth change in day's length is so small we don't have to care about it, except in real time network systems. Since 1972 (46 years ago) we had 27 seconds of change. Almost one every two years. Any pre internet society would not notice it. So, if you are not a developer...



                                    To make this a issue you need to accelerate the pacing a lot. Say... 10 seconds a year. In 6 years the day would get a minute long, and 360 years would increase it one hour. This would trigger big climate changes and be a major concern.



                                    But to justify this change you would need some radical cosmic event, like the planet capture a errant comet as a new moon. And that would cause some other concerns, like extreme tides too.






                                    share|improve this answer























                                      up vote
                                      0
                                      down vote










                                      up vote
                                      0
                                      down vote









                                      The earth change in day's length is so small we don't have to care about it, except in real time network systems. Since 1972 (46 years ago) we had 27 seconds of change. Almost one every two years. Any pre internet society would not notice it. So, if you are not a developer...



                                      To make this a issue you need to accelerate the pacing a lot. Say... 10 seconds a year. In 6 years the day would get a minute long, and 360 years would increase it one hour. This would trigger big climate changes and be a major concern.



                                      But to justify this change you would need some radical cosmic event, like the planet capture a errant comet as a new moon. And that would cause some other concerns, like extreme tides too.






                                      share|improve this answer












                                      The earth change in day's length is so small we don't have to care about it, except in real time network systems. Since 1972 (46 years ago) we had 27 seconds of change. Almost one every two years. Any pre internet society would not notice it. So, if you are not a developer...



                                      To make this a issue you need to accelerate the pacing a lot. Say... 10 seconds a year. In 6 years the day would get a minute long, and 360 years would increase it one hour. This would trigger big climate changes and be a major concern.



                                      But to justify this change you would need some radical cosmic event, like the planet capture a errant comet as a new moon. And that would cause some other concerns, like extreme tides too.







                                      share|improve this answer












                                      share|improve this answer



                                      share|improve this answer










                                      answered 2 hours ago









                                      Cochise

                                      33615




                                      33615






















                                          Koray Tugay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.










                                           

                                          draft saved


                                          draft discarded


















                                          Koray Tugay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.













                                          Koray Tugay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












                                          Koray Tugay is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.















                                           


                                          draft saved


                                          draft discarded














                                          StackExchange.ready(
                                          function () {
                                          StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fworldbuilding.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f131533%2fwhy-would-it-be-unfortunate-for-a-day-length-to-vary-in-a-planet-other-than-tha%23new-answer', 'question_page');
                                          }
                                          );

                                          Post as a guest















                                          Required, but never shown





















































                                          Required, but never shown














                                          Required, but never shown












                                          Required, but never shown







                                          Required, but never shown

































                                          Required, but never shown














                                          Required, but never shown












                                          Required, but never shown







                                          Required, but never shown







                                          Popular posts from this blog

                                          數位音樂下載

                                          When can things happen in Etherscan, such as the picture below?

                                          格利澤436b