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(astronomy) the common center of mass around which two or more bodies revolve
Answer for the clue "(astronomy) the common center of mass around which two or more bodies revolve ", 10 letters:
barycenter
Word definitions for barycenter in dictionaries
Wikipedia
Word definitions in Wikipedia
The barycenter (or barycentre ; from the Greek βαρύ-ς heavy + κέντρ-ον centre ) is the center of mass of two or more bodies that are orbiting each other, or the point around which they both orbit. It is an important concept in fields such as astronomy and ...
WordNet
Word definitions in WordNet
n. (astronomy) the common center of mass around which two or more bodies revolve
Wiktionary
Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. 1 (context physics English) The center of a mass; often specifically, the point at which the gravitational forces exerted by two objects are equal 2 (context geometry English) The centroid, the geometric center of a plane figure
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
barycenter \barycenter\ n. the point representing the mean position of the matter in a body. Syn: centroid, center of mass.
Usage examples of barycenter.
Moon merely retaining its previous Solar orbit with a somewhat increased eccentricity that would gradually damp out, eventually leaving the Moon riding secure, square on the former barycenter, the old center of gravity for the Earth-Moon system.
The barycenter was the balance point, the center of gravity for the whole Pluto-Charon system, the point in space around which both planet and satellite rotated.
In the case of more nearly equal masses, for example Pluto-Charon, the barycenter can be a point in open space between the two masses.