Radiation damping

Radiation damping is a way that scientists talk about how energy is taken away from things that move. Imagine a ball bouncing on a floor. Every time it hits the floor, it bounces back with a little less energy than when it hit the floor. That's radiation damping - it's like energy is being "damped" (or made weaker) each time something moves. Scientists can use this phenomenon to study things like the movement of stars or even the waves on the ocean.