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equatorial bulge
geophysics
Learn about this topic in these articles:
centrifugal forces
- In mechanics: Spinning tops and gyroscopes
Earth bulges slightly at the Equator. As indicated in Figure 25, the effect of the Sun’s gravity on the near bulge (larger than it is on the far bulge) results in a net torque about the centre of Earth. When Earth is on the other side…
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gravity
- In gravity: Potential theory
…the magnitude of Earth’s rotational equatorial bulge, J3 measures a slight pear-shaped deformation of Earth, and so on. The orbits of spacecraft around Earth, other planets, and the Moon deviate from simple Keplerian ellipses in consequence of the various spherical harmonic terms in the potential. Observations of such deviations were…
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