Roche limit

[ rohsh; French rawsh ]

/ roʊʃ; French rɔʃ /

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noun Astronomy.

the minimum distance below which a moon orbiting a celestial body would be disrupted by tidal forces or below which a moon would not have formed.

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Origin of Roche limit

1885–90; named after French astronomer Édouard Roche (1820–83), who first calculated it

Words nearby Roche limit

rocambole, Rocard, Rochambeau, Rochdale, roche alum, Roche limit, Rochelle, Rochelle powder, Rochelle powders, Rochelle salt, roche moutonnée

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Roche limit in a sentence

Environmentalists today generally prefer to limit roads and block new water projects, even in parched California.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This approach would greatly limit his appeal beyond the Northeast and the west coast.
Time to Bring Back the Truman Democrats|Joel Kotkin|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The argument now is how to limit certain types of plays that banks can make under certain circumstances.
How Naive is Elizabeth Warren?|Nick Gillespie|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The foremost trendsetter of Scandi-sleek design and New Nordic food knows no limit to its progressive reputation.
The Ultimate LGBT Travel Bucket List||December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Sadly, laws throughout the Middle East—from North Africa to the Gulf—limit the rights of religious minorities and non-believers.
What It’s Like to Be an Atheist in Palestine|Waleed al-Husseini, Movements.Org|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The controlling center of consciousness is the extreme limit of the nares anteri.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
They had been permitted to sit up till after the ice-cream, which naturally marked the limit of human indulgence.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Another way of learning such a series by rote, is to limit the extent of the repetitions.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
There was no need of Lawrence signaling Dan to come on, for the squad were urging their horses to the limit.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn
McNeil, his force now augmented by Shaffer's, resolved to push Porter to the limit, and if possible bring him to battle.
The Courier of the Ozarks|Byron A. Dunn

British Dictionary definitions for Roche limit

Roche limit

/ (rɒʃ) /

noun

astronomy the distance from the centre of a body, such as a planet, at which the tidal forces are stronger than the mutual gravitational attraction between two adjacent orbiting objects

Word Origin for Roche limit

C19: named after E. A. Roche (1820–83), French mathematician

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for Roche limit

Roche limit

[ rōsh ]

The shortest distance at which a satellite not held together by any force other than its own gravity can orbit another celestial body without being torn apart by the tidal force between them. The distance depends on the densities of the two bodies and the orbit of the satellite. If the satellite and the object are of similar densities, the Roche limit is about two and a half times the radius of the larger object. Since most natural satellites are rigid bodies, their tensile strength allows them to orbit much closer than their Roche limit; however, rigid bodies too may be broken up by tidal forces. The rings surrounding Saturn and the other gas giants in the outer solar system may be the orbiting debris of moons that approached much closer than the Roche limit and were fragmented by tidal forces. The limit is named after the French mathematician Edouard Roche (1820-83).