An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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The time required for the redistribution of → angular momentum due to → meridional circulation. The Eddington-Sweet time for a uniformly → rotating star is expressed as: τ_ES = τ_KH . GM / (Ω² R³), where τ_KH is the → Kelvin-Helmholtz time scale, R, M, and L designate the radius, mass, and luminosity respectively, Ω the → angular velocity, and G the → gravitational constant. The Eddington-Sweet time scale can be approximated by τ_ES≅ τ_KH / χ, where χ is the ratio of the → centrifugal force to → gravity. For the Sun, χ ≅ 10^-5 resulting in an Eddington-Sweet time scale which is too long (10¹² years), i.e. unimportant. In contrast, for a rotating → massive star  χ is not so much less than 1. Hence the Eddington-Sweet circulation is very important in massive stars.

Named after the prominent British astrophysicist Arthur S. Eddington (1882-1944), who was the first to suggest these currents (in The Internal Constitution of the Stars, Dover Pub. Inc., New York, 1926) and P. A. Sweet who later quantified them (1950, MNRAS 110, 548); → time scale.