Roche limit

English Etymology Named after French astronomer Édouard Roche, who first calculated the limit in 1848. Noun en astronomy The closest a satellite can approach its parent body before the gravitational forces holding it together are overwhelmed by tidal forces pulling it apart. en Roche radius en 1979 w:Isaac Asimov w:The Road to Infinity Doubleday (publisher) Doubleday https://books.google.com.au/books?id=h54hAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Roche+limit%22%7C%22Roche+limits%22&dq=%22Roche+limit%22%7C%22Roche+limits%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiehqWB6bf9AhWCl2oFHfFrC5MQ6AF6BAglEAI 145 It might be argued, therefore, that Jupiter is so massive and its gravitational field so intense that it swept out the matter within its Roche limit very effectively. en 1986 William K. Hartmann; Roger J. Phillips; G. Jeffrey Taylor Origin of the Moon w:Lunar and Planetary Institute https://books.google.com.au/books?id=fJTvAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Roche+limit%22%7C%22Roche+limits%22&dq=%22Roche+limit%22%7C%22Roche+limits%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiehqWB6bf9AhWCl2oFHfFrC5MQ6AF6BAgnEAI 91 The prelunar mass must first be moved outside the Roche limit if accumulation is to occur. en 2003 Michael A. Seeds Foundations of Astronomy Brooks/Cole https://books.google.com.au/books?id=SJ7uIjAl-k0C&q=%22Roche+limit%22%7C%22Roche+limits%22&dq=%22Roche+limit%22%7C%22Roche+limits%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiehqWB6bf9AhWCl2oFHfFrC5MQ6AF6BAgwEAI 512 If, however, the planet's moon comes inside the Roche limit, the tidal forces overcome its gravity and pull the moon apart. Related terms en Roche lobe en Roche surface Translations distance of a satellite from its parent body at which its internal gravitational forces exactly balance the external tidal forces French: fr limite de Roche f German: de Rochegrenze f Italian: it limite di Roche m Russian: ru преде́л Ро́ша m en eponyms