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sahd0w
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Does anyone know the name of the law that says that if 2 bodies of different sizes are orbiting each other, the smaller one will break up if its a certain size to the other one?
sahd0w said:Does anyone know the name of the law that says that if 2 bodies of different sizes are orbiting each other, the smaller one will break up if its a certain size to the other one?
The Law of Two Bodies: Smaller Body Breaks Up is a scientific principle that states when two celestial bodies, such as planets or moons, are in close proximity to each other, the smaller body will eventually break up due to tidal forces exerted by the larger body. This is also known as the Roche limit.
The smaller body breaks up due to tidal forces, which are caused by the gravitational pull of the larger body. As the smaller body gets closer to the larger body, the tidal forces become stronger and eventually overcome the gravitational forces holding the smaller body together, causing it to break apart.
Yes, the Law of Two Bodies: Smaller Body Breaks Up can be observed in our solar system. For example, Saturn's moon, Pan, is slowly breaking up as it orbits within Saturn's rings. This is due to the tidal forces exerted by Saturn's gravity.
Yes, there are some exceptions to the Law of Two Bodies: Smaller Body Breaks Up. For example, if the smaller body is very rigid and has a high tensile strength, it may be able to withstand the tidal forces and not break apart. Additionally, if the smaller body has a highly eccentric orbit around the larger body, it may not experience strong enough tidal forces to break up.
The Law of Two Bodies: Smaller Body Breaks Up is believed to be one of the mechanisms for the formation of planetary rings. As smaller bodies, such as moons, break apart due to tidal forces, the debris from the breakup can form rings around the larger body. This is thought to be the case for Saturn's rings and possibly other planetary rings in our solar system.