Glossary term: 潮汐锁定
Description: 潮汐锁定是指潮汐力改变轨道天体的自转，从而使天体自转周期发生变化的过程。月球是潮汐锁定的一个典型例子。地球引力产生的潮汐力使月球形状发生轻微变化，拉伸出一个微弱的潮汐隆起，长轴指向地球。当月球绕地球运行时，地球对这个潮汐隆起施加微小的力。如果月球的自转导致其长轴偏离指向地球的方向，潮汐力会将其拉回，使潮汐隆起再次指向地球。这一过程导致月球总是以同一面朝向地球，因为潮汐锁定使得月球的自转周期等于其轨道周期。
然而，这种自转周期与轨道周期的一对一关系并非所有潮汐锁定天体都适用。例如，水星由于绕太阳运行的轨道较为椭圆，加之潮汐锁定的影响，使得水星在每完成两次绕太阳的公转时自转三次。
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Term and definition status: The original definition of this term in English have been approved by a research astronomer and a teacher The translation of this term and its definition is still awaiting approval
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