An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

The tendency of a body to resist a change in temperature. A body with a low thermal inertia requires very few calories to change its surface temperature. A low thermal inertia material tends to be thermally insulating, so that the surface temperature changes readily, but those changes are not conducted to depth within the material (Ellis et al., 2007, Planetary Ring Systems, Springer).

See also: → thermal; → inertia.