Roche limit

The Roche limit (pronounced /ˈroʊʃ/), or Roche radius, is a planetary distance.

Inside the Roche limit, orbiting material will form planetary rings. Outside the limit, material sticks together and forms satellites.[1]

The term is named after Édouard Roche, the French astronomer who first stated it in 1848.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Eric W. Weisstein (2007). "Eric Weisstein's World of Physics - Roche Limit". scienceworld.wolfram.com. Retrieved September 5, 2007.
  2. ↑ NASA. "What is the Roche limit?". NASA - JPL. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved September 5, 2007.

Sources

  • Édouard Roche: La figure d'une masse fluide soumise à l'attraction d'un point éloigné, Acad. des sciences de Montpellier, Vol. 1 (1847–50) p. 243

Other websites


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