tidally locked
Same side always
Tidally locked describes a celestial body that rotates at the same rate it orbits another body, so the same face always points toward its partner.
The Moon is tidally locked to Earth—we only ever see one side.
This synchronization results from gravitational forces over millions of years.
Mercury was once thought to be tidally locked to the Sun.
- habitable zoneRegion allowing liquid water
- librationApparent rocking motion
- siderealOf the stars
- gravitational pullAttractive force between masses
- red dwarfLow-mass, cool star
celestial object · twilight zone · eternal night · rotation · synchronization · binary system · equilibrium state · exoplanet · orbital decay · angular momentum · dark side · surface temperature · scorched · orbit · circularized · gravity · bulge · Luna
- Inner Planetssurface, atmosphere, orbit, core, mantle