Word info

Roche lobe

Noun

Meaning

Roche lobe (plural Roche lobes)

(astronomy) The teardrop-shaped region around a star in a binary system within which orbiting material is gravitationally bound to that star.

Source: en.wiktionary.org

Related terms

Examples

In fact, the size of the equatorial ridge is comparable with the expected Roche lobe of the moon. Source: Internet

In this case, the stars are so close together that the larger giant is overflowing its Roche lobe and transferring material to the secondary, forming a semidetached system. Source: Internet

The other component is an intermediate mass star. citation Hercules X-1 is composed of a neutron star accreting matter from a normal star (HZ Herculis) probably due to Roche lobe overflow. Source: Internet

Semidetached binary stars are binary stars where one of the components fills the binary star's Roche lobe and the other does not. Source: Internet

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