Would a world with multiple moons display different lunar phases?

[BenJepheneT]

If a planet were to have two satellites, would the lunar phases still be dependant on their location as with our current moon, or would they behave differently. All too many times I've read fantasy manga where multiple moons are shown with the same shape. I wonder if it'll be cool (or realistic) to depict them in different forms.

Also, now that we have two moons in question, will it fuck up ocean tides; a higher chance of tsunamis and the like? I'm discussing this under the context that we're still on a planet similar to Earth, but it'll be nice to hear different scenarios from smaller/bigger planets.

Do forgive me if I sound like ooga booga caveman asking questions about the sky: I spent most of my classes asleep and coasting through my exams on borderline C's and B's.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

All of your questions can easily be answered by looking at the information we know about gravitational pulls, other planets with several moons, and how the goldilocks zone affects a planet.

 

[georgelee5786]

All of your questions can easily be answered by looking at the information we know about gravitational pulls, other planets with several moons, and how the goldilocks zone affects a planet.

I fail to see how a zone about a person who broke into the house of three bears is relevant to the moon

 

[Ai-chan]

The lunar phases would still behave the same, except you might see two crescent moons or one crescent and one full moon because the distance and the speed at which they complete their orbit around the planet may be different. Unless they rotatearound the planet under perfect symmetry with the same mass, they two moons can also only exist on different orbits (different distances). Though you may also encounter those rare events when the crescent moon appear astwo dots in the sky or the moon that is supposed to be full moon now is completely dark because the light from the sun is blocked by the other moon.

As for tides, it will definitely be affected. If the two moons are both on one side, the side facing the moons will likely suffer floods while other side will probably suffer draughts. As for the times when the moons are on opposite sides, the tide could cause the sides not affected by the moon to have freak weather.

But then again, the moons would not be of the same size, so the tides will not be affected equally. Earth actually has more than one moon, but we identify Lunar as our moon simple because it's the biggest, with the most stable orbit and our ancestors have catalogued them since the ancient days.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

I fail to see how a zone about a person who broke into the house of three bears is relevant to the moon

The goldilocks zone is the area in which a planet can sustain life in a solar system. Earth is in our solar systems goldilocks zone. Why do people not study astronomy when stars and planets are so cool?

 

[Erys]

The two moons are more likely to be always close, meaning their pull on the Planet is very similar to having one moon.

 

[LilRora]

If you're going to have two moons, the tides will definitely be affected, though scientifically speaking it's extremely rare for a planet to have two moons the size of our Moon. Normally you would have much smaller moons, around third of Moon's diameter at most, and probably much less. Then the tides would be much smaller, probably even unnoticeable.

If you want to have two moons the size of out Moon, you either leave the thing to reader's imaginations or come up with a good reason why the hell so much of planet's mass got ejected into space to create two moons.

As for the phases, considering that they are dependent on relative position of the star to the moon, it's possible for two moons to have the same phases. It's just that the angle between the observer, moon, and star would need to be the same, which would be very rare in practice.

For dummies, if you put a plane so that starlight goes through it at straight angle, both moons need to be at this plane to be in the same phase.

 

[georgelee5786]

Why do people not study astronomy when stars and planets are so cool?

Many complex words

 

[GreenHexagon]

Many complex words

Many, Many, Many complex words

 

[BenJepheneT]

Why do people not study astronomy when stars and planets are so cool?

Cars and guns exist too, unfortunately.

 

[Paul_Tromba]

Cars and guns exist too, unfortunately.

Who said you couldn't study all three? I do.

 

[BenJepheneT]

Who said you couldn't study all three? I do.

okay damn you don't need to flex on my crippling mental retardation like this chief