Equation 9 · How We Know What Is Inside a Planet
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Symbol n
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and the factor (R/r)^{n} is the whole epistemology of gravity-based interior work. Each successive degree n decays faster with altitude, so high-degree terms are measurable only from low orbit and are dominated by shallow structure. Low-degree terms reach deep but are few. A gravity field is therefore a filter that attenuates depth information in a known, unavoidable way.
Sources cited in the article section
- [10] The crust of the Moon as seen by GRAIL ↗
- [17] Comparing Jupiter interior structure models to Juno gravity measurements and the role of a dilute core ↗
- [18] A diffuse core in Saturn revealed by ring seismology ↗
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