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For the lunar gravity field, it is conventional to use an equatorial radius of R = 1738.0 km. The gravity potential is written with a series of spherical harmonic functions P nm. The gravitational potential V at an external point is conventionally expressed as positive in astronomy and geophysics, but negative in physics. Then, with the former ...
The main lunar gravity features are mascons, large positive gravitational anomalies associated with some of the giant impact basins, partly caused by the dense mare basaltic lava flows that fill those basins. [83] [84] The anomalies greatly influence the orbit of spacecraft about the Moon. There are some puzzles: lava flows by themselves cannot ...
The Lunar Traverse Gravimeter was a lunar science experiment, deployed by astronauts on the lunar surface in 1972 as part of Apollo 17.The goal of the experiment was to use relative gravity measurements to infer potential attributes about the geological substrata near the Apollo 17 landing site.
The current model of the interior of the Moon was derived using seismometers left behind during the crewed Apollo program missions, as well as investigations of the Moon's gravity field and rotation. The mass of the Moon is sufficient to eliminate any voids within the interior, so it is estimated to be composed of solid rock throughout.
Lunar theory attempts to account for the motions of the Moon. ... (Newtonian) proofs, and "The Laws of the Moon's Motion according to Gravity", ...
The moon may be older than some scientists thought, according to a new study. ... A 2020 study found that the gas giant’s gravity may stretch and squeeze some of its icy moons enough to heat ...
In 2019, a reanalysis of nearly 50 years of data collected from the Lunar Laser Ranging experiment with lunar gravity field data from the GRAIL mission, shows that for a relaxed lunar fluid core with non-hydrostatic lithospheres, the core flattening is determined as (2.2 ± 0.6) × 10 −4 with the radii of its core-mantle boundary as 381 ± 12 km.
Topography (top) and corresponding gravity (bottom) signal of Mare Smythii on the Moon containing a significant mascon. Map of the Moon's gravity anomalies. In astronomy, astrophysics and geophysics, a mass concentration (or mascon) is a region of a planet's or moon's crust that contains a large positive gravity anomaly.