Abstract
That the shape of the Moon is very approximately spherical is a fact which can be verified with the naked eye whenever the Moon happens to be on the horizon; and in the preceding chapter we outlined the methods by which its mean radius was established at very close to 1738 km. Moreover, in the next chapter we shall explain why a self-gravitating body of the mass of the Moon was bound to have settled to this form. The aim of this chapter will be to review the extent to which the actual shape of the Moon deviates from a sphere of radius equal to 1738 km, and its gravitational field departs from that of a globe with spherically-symmetrical distribution of matter. These deviations — while small — have an important message to deliver concerning the state of equilibrium of the lunar globe, and its internal structure. An inquiry into this structure will be conducted in the next chapter on the basis of all aspects of observational evidence bearing on the problem; and in the present chapter we shall begin to prepare the ground for such an inquiry.
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© 1974 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
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Kopal, Z. (1974). Shape and Gravitational Field of the Moon. In: The Moon in the Post-Apollo Era. Geophysics and Astrophysics Monographs, vol 7. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2101-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2101-2_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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