Orbital mechanics
Spin–Orbit Coupling
The locking of a body's rotation to its orbit by tides. The Moon keeps one face toward the Earth in a 1:1 lock, while Mercury rotates three times for every two orbits of the Sun — a 3:2 spin–orbit resonance.
Bodies, frames & concepts
Across celestial mechanics
Knowledge connections
- Associated withTidal Evolution
- Associated withMercury
- Associated withTidal Evolution
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.