AST 301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Roche Limit, Formation And Evolution Of The Solar System, Gravitational Energy
Document Summary
Satur(cid:374)"s ri(cid:374)g syste(cid:373) is the (cid:373)ost (cid:374)oti(cid:272)ea(cid:271)le. If a large enough body gets close enough to a massive body, the difference in gravity can break it apart. This is only if the body was held together by gravity. The roche limit is how close a satellite can get to a body before being torn apart. Most rings are in the roche limit area. On elliptical orbits, bodies are pulled and squished by the gravity of other bodies. Io as an example, it is stretched and squished by jupiter"s or(cid:271)it whi(cid:272)h heats the i(cid:374)side and keeps the interior molten. Be(cid:272)ause of io"s s(cid:373)all size it should (cid:271)e (cid:272)old. For europa and enceladus tidal heating keeps their interiors hot enough for possibility of. Io has volcanic eruptions because of this liquid water. Titan is interesting because it is one of the only satellites with a planet-like atmosphere. Methane exists as a liquid and is solvent like water.
