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Hurricane Ivan from the Space Station (APOD 13 Jan 08)
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 2:12 pm
by marion ballantyne
Can similarities be drawn between hurricanes and galaxies? Their shape is much the same, and both have the point of greatest rotational force within the Eye and the Black Hole.
Marion
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 3:53 pm
by craterchains
Simply stated, yes.
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:55 pm
by Pete
Feeling eloquent today?
Both spiral galaxies and hurricanes form "logarithmic spirals," as do many other natural structures. At any point in a log spiral, the tangent line of an arm makes a constant angle with the radial line passing through the tangent point.
Do any readers have insight about precisely why hurricanes and spiral galaxies take on (approximately) log spiral shapes in particular?
The following APOD compares a hurricane with a galaxy:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030925.html
Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:18 am
by craterchains
Do any readers have insight about precisely why hurricanes and spiral galaxies take on (approximately) log spiral shapes in particular?
Yes, simply stated, resistance.