An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

The second term of the right-hand side in the → induction equation. This term is at the origin of the → dynamo effect and also of the → Alfven waves when in the presence of a mean field.

→ stretch; → term.

The stretching of an object under → tidal force. Tidal stretching results from a difference in the gravitational pull felt on two sides of a body. It is proportional to the inverse cube of the distance to the source of gravity (1/r³). As a consequence, nearby objects, even small ones like the Moon, raise high tides, whereas distant giants like Jupiter do not produce much of an effect.

→ tidal; → stretching.