libration
1
9.9
- noun
- /laɪˈbreɪʃən/
- Specialized
- A spaceship is stranded on the planet Mercury outside of the libration areas.
- favorable libration
- lunar libration
- maximum libration
Examples
-
The plan would set up a manned station in an area of space called the "Earth-Moon Libration Point," former astronaut Leroy Chiao told CNN.
Blog text (13) -
Except for the libration of the poles.
Fiction book (1992) -
Latitudinal libration, due to the tilt of the moon's axis with respect to the ecliptic, will cause the Earth to oscillate north and south by 6.7 degrees each way.
Blog text (34) -
First of all, the moon's orbit has a wobble, like the Earth's longitudinal libration, due to the elliptical orbit of the moon around the Earth, which is 7.7 degrees.
Blog text (34) -
A recent Orlando Sentinel newspaper story kick-started the perception that NASA officials have picked a leading candidate for the agency's next major mission: creation of a "gateway spacecraft" parked at the Earth-moon libration point 2, also known as EML-2.
Blog text (18) -
During a favorable libration, the Moon reveals features that are usually hidden from view.
-
The astronomer explained how libration allows us to see slightly different areas of the Moon over time.
-
Understanding libration helps amateur astronomers track the best times to observe lunar features.
Synonyms
11
7.0
One complete back-and-forth movement, like a pendulum swing
Antonyms
How Much
92
3.2
- Specialized
7
7.2
13
2.8
- Specialized
1
9.9
35
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Libration comes from the Latin root libra, meaning 'balance' or 'scales', the same root you see in the star sign Libra. So a libration is a small back-and-forth 'balancing' movement or slight rocking of a moon or satellite, which is why we can see different parts of its surface over time.