An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A measure of the number of particles passing a given point in a → planetary ring per unit time. It is obtained by multiplying the physical width of the ring by its average → optical depth. For the variable-width eccentric rings of → Uranus, equivalent depth remains almost constant around a given ring (Ellis et al., 2007, Planetary Ring Systems, Springer).

See also: → equivalent; → depth.