libration

/laษชหˆbษนeษช.สƒษ™n/

IPA: /L AY0 B R EY1 SH AH0 N/

noun
  1. 1

    The act of librating.

  2. 2

    The apparent wobble or variation in the visible side of the Moon that permanently faces the Earth, allowing observers on Earth to see, over a period of time, slightly more than half of the lunar surface.

  3. 3

    (by extension) A similar rotational or orbital characteristic of some other celestial body.

  4. 4

    A vibrational degree of freedom whereby a group of atoms partly rotates back and forth, similar to the Moon's motion.

Source: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/libration