Writing a book...

[kniclander]

I especially don't like to publicise my work, for many reasons. I wish I knew what you are thinking as you read this...

=)

tbh, I'm thinking you must be the first author who doesn't like to publicise his work...

I don't know why but something here smells a bit fishy to me

in answer to your questions, if you're willing to fictionalise enough to invent a whole moon (and an invisible one at that...) why not just invent one that has oxygen, plus/minus whatever other features you want it to have

[barkis]

There was a Russian astronomer, I don't know his name, and I'm quoting Hearsay, who proposed that earths moon an interstellar spaceship, and was parked in earth orbit by alien beings. The moon is hollow according to that Russian, and he claimed the evidence for the hollow moon, is it rings like a bell for a long time, whenever an impact strikes it. Be it a man made impactor, or a meteorite.

Perhaps there is an opening in that scenario for entry into your book.

It could be enlarged upon to include another moon, much larger, and orbiting at a distance that would nullify any tidal consequences on earth.

Ron.

[Steve922]

I especially don't like to publicise my work, for many reasons

I'll bet I'm not alone in being amazed at this. Not to mention puzzled. Why on earth would an author of several books not want to publicise them for free if given the chance?

Not to worry, I think I know where you are coming from and I wish you luck in getting people to work for you for nothing.

Congratulations on your excellent usage of grammar and spelling (so rare on the Internet) and I hope you get somewhere with this project.

Steve

[Author]

Thanks for the comments and support so far, some really good ideas are surfacing...

What I want to know is this, could a moon have an atmosphere, oxygen and it's own eco-system? I'm not talking about moving there, or using technology to make our current moon habitable. I want to know if a planet, similar to our moon, could have an atmosphere and life?

[barkis]

Titan, a moon of Saturn has an atmosphere, unfortunately, it's mostly Methane. However, there is nothing to deter a double planet system, whereby two bodies orbit around a common centre of gravity, and in turn orbit their sun. Given the right conditions, both could hold a Nitrogen/Oxygen atmosphere as here on earth.

Not sure that scenario would fit into the Solar Sytem though.

But being Sci Fi. make it fit, although you will need advice on how to make it credible from someone with knowledge on orbital mechanics.

Ron.

[Author]

Many thanks, there barkis.

So now down to the rest of the questions in my fourth post...

[ollypenrice]

OK, sorry if I was a bit narked earlier on.

Here are some things you need to look up on moons (AKA satellites);

-Synchronous rotation. Tidal interactions between moon and parent body cause the moon's rotaion to slow until it equals the period of its orbit around the parent. This process is slow so a moon could be depicted in a phase during which the slowing was still in progress. The result is that moons end up with one side facing permanently away from the parent. Our moon has a far side but does not have a permanently dark side since the sun shines on half of its surface at all times. During our new moon the illuminated side is facing away from us so we don't see it.

-Length of 'day'. A consequence of this is that the moon has a 'day' which is as long as its orbit around the parent.

-There is no reason why a moon should not have an atmosphere. It would need sufficient gravitational field to hang onto it and that would come from its density. Our moon is far less dense than the earth. The Big Splash theory suggests that the moon is made up of the lighter surface materials of a mark one earth that was then hit by a big impactor.

-Moons can also be captured by the gravitational field of the parent body having formed elsewhere.

-Axial tilt; the earth has an axial tilt of 23.5 degrees relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun. This is the source of the seasons. If you read a summary of the characteristics of the solar system planets you will come across interesting variations arising from this.

-Volcanic activity produced by tidal effects. Tidal effects (differences is the strength of the parent's gravitational pull on the near and far sides of the moon) can cause a manipulation of the crust and a heating of the body, conditions likely to induce volcanic activity.

- It is the fate of moons to distance themselves very slowly from the parent and in time to become geostationary. (The term only applies properly to the earth but you know what I mean.)

Eclipses might be interesting. The moon will cast a shadow on the parent and the parent will obscure the sun for moon dwellers from time to time. Check out the 'line of nodes.'

Do double check all of this because I have little knowledge of solar system astronomy and am far more interested in things more distant.

Olly