The gravitational force between two objects varies as the inverse-square of the distance between them. On the surface of Earth, we do not notice that the gravitational force of Earth pulling on our feet is slightly larger than the force pulling on our head.
For astronomical bodies, however, the difference in gravity can be so great that it pulls the body apart! This is called the tidal gravitational force. Around every body, there is a distance called the tidal radius within which an object will be gravitationally torn apart if the body is being held together by its own gravitational forces.
This distance can be calculated using the formulae to the left. Let’s explore what this distance is for some common astronomical bodies.
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