English Explanatory Dictionary

Roche limit

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The closest a satellite can approach its parent body before the gravitational forces holding it together are overwhelmed by tidal forces pulling it apart.

Word forms

Roche limit Roche limits

Etymology

Named after French astronomer Édouard Roche, who first calculated the limit in 1848.

Synonyms

Roche radius

Related words

Roche lobe Roche surface
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