There's one thing I don't like about Laskar's papers...he has a habit of mostly quoting too often from his own previous papers. Whilst that's OK to do, it's not the best thing to do if you're trying to prove a point or show that your work has some veracity. I have not seen any comment on his papers from other researchers, or if they've been cited elsewhere.
And I thought it was a very simple orbit. Sounds more like the merry-go-round from hell. I new that the ecliptic plane was fairly square with the galactic plane but I had no idea how far up and down we went. So we're doing the hoola hoop basically, flying through nasty stuff occasionaly. It's just amazing the earth is still ticking along relatively unaffected by the sound of it. Well except some measly extinction event now and then wiping 70% of biodiversity. But they were all seafood at the time weren't they? Frogs and snails. That kind of stuff
Actually, the ecliptic plane and the plane of the solar system is tilted at about 50 degrees to the plane of the Galaxy. The Earth is hardly unaffected, we just don't see it because of the timescale on which everything occurs and the degree to which things are preserved in the geological record.
Actually, the ecliptic plane and the plane of the solar system is tilted at about 50 degrees to the plane of the Galaxy. The Earth is hardly unaffected, we just don't see it because of the timescale on which everything occurs and the degree to which things are preserved in the geological record.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks for answering all my shtoopid questions.
The causes for these extinction events are still very much up for debate, too.
They don't all have to attributed to surface or atmospheric temperature variations.
Cheers
True....but a large asteroid impact, a global methane belch or increased volcanic activity will cause temp variations.
However, that they happened is fact and we only have a certain number of possible causes. We can take our pick and see which one (or more than one) occurred.
True....but a large asteroid impact, a global methane belch or increased volcanic activity will cause temp variations.
However, that they happened is fact and we only have a certain number of possible causes. We can take our pick and see which one (or more than one) occurred.
And I thought it was a very simple orbit. Sounds more like the merry-go-round from hell. 
I new that the ecliptic plane was fairly square with the galactic plane but I had no idea how far up and down we went. So we're doing the hoola hoop basically, flying through nasty stuff occasionaly. It's just amazing the earth is still ticking along relatively unaffected by the sound of it. Well except some measly extinction event now and then wiping 70% of biodiversity. But they were all seafood at the time weren't they? Frogs and snails. That kind of stuff 
