Darwin-Radau equation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In astrophysics, the Darwin-Radau equation gives a relation between the third principal moment of inertia of the Earth and its rotataional speed and shape. It is assumed that the rotating Earth is in hydrodynamic equilibrium and is an ellipsoid of revolution. The Darwin-Radau equation states[1]
where M and Re represent the mass and mean equatorial radius of the Earth. Here λ is the D'Alembert parameter and the Radau parameter η is defined as
where q is the geodynamical constant
and ε is the geometrical flattening
where Rp is the mean polar radius of the Earth.
[edit] Reference
- ^ Bourda, G; Capitaine N (2004). "Precession, nutation, and space geodetic determination of the Earth's variable gravity field". Astronomy and Astrophysics 428: 691–702.
 |
This physics-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
