Where once there was light, darness now sits. A cloud of of terrific weight has rumbled in over my eyes and mind so that I can no longer see what is real. The tides, do they still follow the moon?
In my youth I sought with empirical exactness to wrap my elastic mind around the physical world, especially the parts we can see and push with our own muscles. It was a natual inclination for me and a joy; I even began to believe I was good at it. There was one particularly beautiful mystery I sought to bring my head around to for a theoretical analysis, to shine light upon a cloaking shadow; a timeless question to be understood as well as our own bodies - what causes the tides?
In my head I visualized and deductively reasoned that the tides are caused by a swing dance between the Earth and Moon. On the near side, the Moon's gravity pulls the oceans up. On the far side the centripital force from the Earth swinging the moon on its monthly path like an adult swinging a little child around by the arms (playfully) pulls the oceans up as well so that it is stretched into an oblong shape in line with the moon. I was so proud of my discovery because no one seemed to know it, like a riddle, only that the moon is responsib
le.
Recently I have been spending a lot of time looking at the ocean where tides are very obvious and I have noticed a peculiar thing. The low tide follows the moon so that the star fish are drying out when the moon is high above. What? Thats all wrong, doesnt match my model. Where is the logic in it? The high tide should come with the moon then again when it is opposite. Sure enough, however, night after night, I could see the tide was lowest when the moon stood directly above.
Nobody could help me. All of the locals I have asked dont even have an explanation for the Milky Way, so I consulted the oracle, Wikipedia. As it turns out the sun is also responsible for tidal movements in the same way the moon is, duh, just to a lesser extent. But, that doesnt explain my observation which was most obvious when the moon was full and the sun would be complimenting the moon's pull, in a syzygystic state. Other factors are said to have influence, basically the inertial sloshing of the oceans as in a bath tub and the tilt of the Earth.
I am now lost on the subject, with my head in a pile of coal, inclined to believe the science of the Oracle but unable to escape the observations that haunt me. For now, what I saw will remain as an anomaly and proof that this world is happily more magical than my scientific mind can manage.
In my head I visualized and deductively reasoned that the tides are caused by a swing dance between the Earth and Moon. On the near side, the Moon's gravity pulls the oceans up. On the far side the centripital force from the Earth swinging the moon on its monthly path like an adult swinging a little child around by the arms (playfully) pulls the oceans up as well so that it is stretched into an oblong shape in line with the moon. I was so proud of my discovery because no one seemed to know it, like a riddle, only that the moon is responsib
le. Recently I have been spending a lot of time looking at the ocean where tides are very obvious and I have noticed a peculiar thing. The low tide follows the moon so that the star fish are drying out when the moon is high above. What? Thats all wrong, doesnt match my model. Where is the logic in it? The high tide should come with the moon then again when it is opposite. Sure enough, however, night after night, I could see the tide was lowest when the moon stood directly above.
Nobody could help me. All of the locals I have asked dont even have an explanation for the Milky Way, so I consulted the oracle, Wikipedia. As it turns out the sun is also responsible for tidal movements in the same way the moon is, duh, just to a lesser extent. But, that doesnt explain my observation which was most obvious when the moon was full and the sun would be complimenting the moon's pull, in a syzygystic state. Other factors are said to have influence, basically the inertial sloshing of the oceans as in a bath tub and the tilt of the Earth.
I am now lost on the subject, with my head in a pile of coal, inclined to believe the science of the Oracle but unable to escape the observations that haunt me. For now, what I saw will remain as an anomaly and proof that this world is happily more magical than my scientific mind can manage.
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