Moonlet
.jpg)
A moonlet, minor moon, minor natural satellite or minor satellite is a particularly small natural satellite orbiting a planet, dwarf planet or other minor planet. Three different types of small moons have been called moonlets:
- A belt of objects embedded in a planetary ring, as in Saturn's A Ring or S/2009 S 1 in the B Ring ("propeller" moonlets)[1][2] or in Saturn's F Ring.[3]
- Occasionally for asteroid moons, such as the moons of 87 Sylvia.[4]
- Subsatellites.[5]
See also
Look up moonlet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
References
- ^ Matthew S. Tiscareno; et al. (2006). "100-metre-diameter moonlets in Saturn's A ring from observations of 'propeller' structures". Nature. 440 (7084): 648–650. Bibcode:2006Natur.440..648T. doi:10.1038/nature04581. PMID 16572165.
- ^ Miodrag Sremčević; et al. (2007). "A belt of moonlets in Saturn's A ring". Nature. 449 (7165): 1019–1021. Bibcode:2007Natur.449.1019S. doi:10.1038/nature06224. PMID 17960236.
- ^ Carl D. Murray; et al. (June 5, 2008). "The determination of the structure of Saturn's F ring by nearby moonlets". Nature. 453 (7196). The Science and Technology Facilities Council: 739–44. Bibcode:2008Natur.453..739M. doi:10.1038/nature06999. PMID 18528389.
- ^ F. Marchis; et al. (2005). "Discovery of the triple asteroidal system 87 Sylvia". Nature. 436 (7052): 822–4. Bibcode:2005Natur.436..822M. doi:10.1038/nature04018. PMID 16094362.
- ^ Robert Walker (17 April 2015). "Can Moons Have Moonlets? Or Rings? Moonlets Of Pluto's Moons?". Science 2.0. Retrieved 9 April 2016.