Allan Bell of the Loughton Astronomical Society gave us a talk with the title “The Gravity Zoo“. In it he talked about tides and stellar evolution; both processes in which gravity plays a significant role. He explained why the influences of the Sun and Moon on the Earth’s oceans and seas lead to most coasts experiencing two tides a day, and why the Sun’s influence appears the weaker despite its much greater “pull”. He then briefly described some of the tidal effects seen on other celestial bodies like Jupiter’s moon Io, and Saturn’s rings. He then went on to explain some of the processes involved in stellar evolution, and gravity’s role in them. Along the way he illustrated points with animated slides, and towards the end, with recordings of pulsars.
An active organisation for everyone in Bromley and the surrounding areas with an interest in astronomy and space technology