The dynamical flattenings of Mercury and Venus

✍ Scribed by M. Shen; C. Z. Zhang

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 265 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1573-0794
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00113990

✦ Synopsis

The method which is used to calculate the dynamical flattenings (C -f(A + B))/C of the Earth and Moon meets with difficulties when it applies to Mercury and Venus. In this paper, after the calculation of the dimensionless moment of inertia C/h4Rz by solving the Emden equation, the effectiveness of the method deriving dynamical flattening from the observed value of the Mercury's obliquity 6 is analysed based on the resonance rotation theory. Some suggestions are made for the future space explorations. Finally, the ranges of dynamical flattening and of the obliquity of Venus are calculated.