OK, I've run some numbers on the lesser moon. Feel free to comment. The lesser moon orbits from 1.38 to 6.72 times the orbit of the greater moon and has an absolute diameter 28% of the greater moon. Together these mean the lesser moon varies from 20% to 4% of the greater moon in apparent size. The lesser moon has a sidereal period of 8.66 times that of the greater moon. I still need to work out what this comes to in planetary days, but it should be close to 230 days. (This may need explaining. I think there are laws which prevent a moon from having a period more that 1/6 or 1/3 of the period of its primary.) Tidal force is generally negligible, but at it's closest the lesser moon exerts a force equal to one-quarter of the solar tide so we can have passages which are only open when the lesser moon combines with the solar tide, and so forth. I'll work out the details (with any changes people would like) and try to put all the information up on the phoenyx web site this weekend. Jefferson (Exquaestio) http://www.picotech.net/~jeff_wilson63/rpg/ ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send mail to celandra-off@phoenyx.net.
