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Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: If the Moon fragmented, could pieces hit the Earth?
« on: 01/10/2017 17:29:27 »
The answer is most definitely yes. The reason that objects break up around the Roche limit is because of (1) scaling laws, which means that the strength-to-weight ratio of materials decreases as objects become larger, and (2) large objects experience a greater difference in tidal forces on the side that is facing the object they are orbiting than on the side that is facing away from it. That creates a "pulling" effect that stretches the satellite. These two factors are why something like the Moon will break up if it gets too close to the Earth but something like the Space Shuttle will not.
If the Moon were to enter the Roche limit, it would break up into pieces that were too small to be further broken up by the tidal forces created by Earth's gravity. Even objects the size of a marble can survive atmospheric reentry, and many Moon fragments would be quite a bit larger than that.
If the Moon were to enter the Roche limit, it would break up into pieces that were too small to be further broken up by the tidal forces created by Earth's gravity. Even objects the size of a marble can survive atmospheric reentry, and many Moon fragments would be quite a bit larger than that.
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