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nutation |
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nutation, in astronomy, a slight wobbling motion of the earth's axis. The causes of nutation are similar to those of the precession of the equinoxes precession of the equinoxes, westward motion of the equinoxes along the ecliptic . This motion was first noted by Hipparchus c.120 B.C. The precession is due to the gravitational attraction of the moon and sun on the equatorial bulge of the earth, which causes the ..... Click the link for more information. , involving the varying attraction of the moon moon, natural satellite of a planet (see satellite, natural ) or dwarf planet, in particular, the single natural satellite of the earth . The Earth-Moon SystemThe moon is the earth's nearest neighbor in space. ..... Click the link for more information. on the earth's equatorial bulge. However, the period of the motion is only 18.6 years, the same as that of the precession of the moon's nodes, as opposed to the nearly 26,000-year period of the precession of the equinoxes. Nutation was discovered by the English astronomer James Bradley in 1728 but was not explained until 20 years later. |
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Another finds that the phenomena of precession and nutation require that the earth, if not entirely solid, must at least have a shell not less than eight hundred to a thousand miles in thickness. |
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nutation
