SECULAR RESONANCE Meaning and
Definition
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Secular resonance refers to a phenomenon that occurs in celestial mechanics, particularly in the study of planetary motion. It describes a gravitational interaction between two celestial bodies that leads to long-term changes in their orbits. This resonance occurs when the gravitational forces of the bodies cause a slow, cumulative increase or decrease in certain orbital elements over time.
In a secular resonance, the two bodies have orbits with slightly different periods or orbital eccentricities. As they travel on their respective paths around a central object, their gravitational interaction causes periodic adjustments to their orbits. These adjustments gradually accumulate, leading to significant changes in their overall characteristics over long periods.
The term "secular" is derived from the Latin word "saeculum," meaning long period or age. It refers to the timescale over which these changes occur, which can be on the order of centuries or even millions of years.
Secular resonance can have significant effects on the stability and evolution of planetary systems. It can lead to orbital resonances, where the ratio of the bodies' orbital periods forms a simple whole number ratio, and can result in dynamical phenomena such as chaotic motion or resonant capture.
Scientists study secular resonance to better understand the long-term behavior of celestial bodies and their interactions. This knowledge has important implications for fields such as planetary formation, celestial mechanics, and the study of exoplanetary systems.
Common Misspellings for SECULAR RESONANCE
- aecular resonance
- zecular resonance
- xecular resonance
- decular resonance
- eecular resonance
- wecular resonance
- swcular resonance
- sscular resonance
- sdcular resonance
- srcular resonance
- s4cular resonance
- s3cular resonance
- sexular resonance
- sevular resonance
- sefular resonance
- sedular resonance
- secylar resonance
- sechlar resonance
- secjlar resonance
- secilar resonance
Etymology of SECULAR RESONANCE
The word "secular" comes from the Latin word "saecularis", which means "of or pertaining to an age or period of a century". It is derived from the Latin word "saeculum", meaning "generation" or "age".
The word "resonance" comes from the Latin word "resonare", which means "to resound" or "to echo". It is derived from the prefix "re-", which indicates repetition, and the Latin word "sonare", meaning "to sound".
When the two words are combined, the term "secular resonance" refers to the phenomenon in celestial mechanics where a small body's orbit is influenced by the gravitational forces of larger bodies, which causes its orbital elements to gradually change over a long period of time.
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