Gravitomagnetic Influence on Gyroscopes and on the Lunar Orbit

Gravitomagnetism—a motional coupling of matter analogous to the Lorentz force in electromagnetism—has observable consequences for any scenario involving differing mass currents. Examples include gyroscopes located near a rotating massive body and the interaction of two orbiting bodies. In the former case, the resulting precession of the gyroscope is often called “frame dragging” and is the principal measurement sought by the Gravity Probe-B experiment. The latter case is realized in the Earth-Moon system, and the effect has in fact been confirmed via lunar laser ranging to approximately 0.1% accuracy—better than the anticipated accuracy of the Gravity-Probe-B result. This Letter shows the connection between these seemingly disparate phenomena by employing the same gravitomagnetic term in the equation of motion to obtain both gyroscopic precession and modification of the lunar orbit.