The libration and interior structure of large icy satellites and Mercury

Abstract

AbstractLongitudinal librations are periodic changes in the rotation angle of a planet or satellite. Their observation and subsequent interpretation have profoundly increased our understanding of the interior structure of Mercury. Likewise, libration is thought to provide important constraints on the interior structure of icy satellites. Here we study the libration of Mercury and large icy satellites rotating synchronously with their orbital motion and explain how it depends on the interior structure.