Roche limit

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/roche-limit

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the discoverer?Édouard Roche
2. What is the year of calculation?1848
3. Why do some planets have rings instead of moons?When a comet or asteroid gets inside the Roche limit, the planet’s tidal forces rip it apart. The pieces spread out into a ring around the planet.
4. How does the size of a planet affect the Roche limit?The Roche limit depends on the planet’s radius and density. A bigger, denser planet has a larger Roche limit, so a moon can stay farther away before it breaks apart.

Celestial Mechanics: The branch of astronomy concerned with the motion of celestial bodies under the influence of gravity.
Tidal Forces: Differential gravitational forces exerted by a celestial body on another, causing stretching or compression.
Accretion: The process of growth by accumulation of smaller particles or matter.