Equation 13 · How We Know What Is Inside a Planet
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the small. Read the equation part by part below; each part has a contextual explanation and a link to its mathematical background.
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subscript
subscript
The lower label selects a particular version, component, or indexed member of the quantity. For example, x₀ and xₜ can be values at different positions.
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What the article says around this equation
If a body is deformable, an external tidal potential distorts it, and the distortion changes its external gravity field in a way an orbiter can measure. The degree-two potential Love number quantifies that response. A rigid body has a small ; a body with a global liquid layer decoupling shell from interior has a large one.
Sources cited in the article section
- [14] The tides of Titan ↗
- [13] Galileo magnetometer measurements: a stronger case for a subsurface ocean at Europa ↗
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