Roche limit

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Roche limit The distance within which the tidal forces exerted by a planet are sufficient to disrupt a satellite or smaller body. For bodies in circular orbits with zero tensile strength and the same mean density as the primary, the Roche limit is 2.46 × (primary-body radius). In the case of the Earth—Moon system, the critical distance is 2.89 Earth radii (18 400 km).

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Roche limit

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Updated Aug 24 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

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