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Why a spinning ball curves in mid-air: the Magnus effect Clip a football with the side of your boot and it bends around a wall with nothing touching it in the air. A spinning ball drags air around with its surface… Physics5 min read Why the Moon always shows us the same face: tidal locking The Moon does spin. It turns exactly once for every trip around the Earth, so the same face always points our way. Walk around a chair while always facing it… Earth & Space3 min read Why a tossed tennis racket flips: the intermediate axis theorem Spin a tennis racket about its handle or its face and it flies cleanly. Spin it about the third axis and it flips, even in orbit where nothing pushes on it… Physics3 min read Why one day on Mercury lasts two Mercury years Mercury circles the Sun in 88 Earth days and spins once every 58.6 days. That odd pairing, three spins for every two orbits, means one sunrise to the next… Earth & Space3 min read Why we only ever see one side of the Moon The Moon always shows us the same face, so it's easy to assume it doesn't spin. It does. It turns exactly once for every orbit, about every 27.3 days, so the… Earth & Space6 min read