In celestial mechanics, the Roche limit, also called Roche radius, is the distance within which a celestial body, held together only by its own force of gravity, will disintegrate due to a second celestial body’s tidal forces exceeding the first body’s gravitational self-attraction. Inside the Roche limit, orbiting material disperses and forms rings, whereas outside the limit material tends to coalesce. The term is named after Édouard Roche (pronounced [ʁɔʃ] (French), /rɔːʃ/ rawsh (English)), who was the French astronomer who first calculated this theoretical limit in 1848.
Roche limit was last modified: July 23rd, 2020 by