If a #planet 🪐 orbits extremely close to a star (as many extrasolar planets do), the star’s gravity stretches the planet into a shape called a prolate spheroid with a tidal bulge that somewhat resembles a football 🏈. The mass in that tidal bulge feels the gravitational pull of the host star, which tries to keep the bulge pointed toward the star https://www.astronomy.com/science/what-causes-a-planet-to-be-tidally-locked/

#Astronomy #TidalLocking