256
edits
Changes
Édouard Albert Roche
A [[planet]]'s or [[star]]'s '''Roche limit''' is the smallest distance a satellite (which is held together only by gravitational forces) can approach it without being desintegrated by tidal forces. Generally, there are two forms of the Roche limit: one for a solid satellite, an other, bigger one for a fluid satellite.
A [[planet]]'s or [[star]]'s '''Roche limit''' is the smallest distance a satellite (which is held together only by gravitational forces) can approach it without being desintegrated by tidal forces. Generally, there are two forms of the Roche limit: one for a solid satellite, an other, bigger one for a fluid satellite.
As the ''Roche lobe'' and the ''Roche sphere'', the Roche limit is named after the [[French]] physicist Édouard Albert Roche (1820 – 1883).
== Sources ==
== Sources ==
*[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/RocheLimit.html Wolfram Research]
*[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/RocheLimit.html Wolfram Research]