We need to set a minimum moon size

There are too many moons in the solar system. Cassini just found 2
more around Saturn. It's time to set a limit on the minimum size a
moon can be to be considered a moon and not just a rock that happens
to be caught in the planet's gravity. I'd say limiting the size to
10km in diameter is probably a good ratio. This will eliminate a few
around Jupiter and Saturn from being considered moons.

It's time to set a limit on the minimum size a moon can be to be considered
a moon and not just a rock that happens to be caught in the planet's gravity.
I'd say limiting the size to 10km in diameter is probably a good ratio.
This will eliminate a few around Jupiter and Saturn from being considered
moons.


Probably too small but a difficult question. An object 10km in size _is_ a
rock, or at best a mountain, by most standards. We can't even precisely fix the
limits/definition to separate planets from asteroids and the objects beyond
Neptune. I personally await with glee the day when several trans-Neptunian
objects bigger than Pluto have been spotted and the mayhem to follow as to what
they are to be classified as... and what to finally do with Pluto!

JB

"Richard" wrote in message
...
There are too many moons in the solar system.

What? Is there some kind of quota? What exactly does "too many" mean? Who
sets the standards?

Cassini just found 2
more around Saturn. It's time to set a limit on the minimum size a
moon can be to be considered a moon and not just a rock that happens
to be caught in the planet's gravity. I'd say limiting the size to
10km in diameter is probably a good ratio. This will eliminate a few
around Jupiter and Saturn from being considered moons.

What will we call them? Moonlets? Orbital trash? Mere Satellites?

There are too many moons in the solar system.

HI Richard:

Who told you this?! Not a little voice in your head, I hope! :-)

Seriously...WHY?!


Peace,
Rod Mollise
Author of _Choosing and Using a Schmidt Cassegrain Telescope_
Like SCTs and MCTs?
Check-out sct-user, the mailing list for CAT fanciers!
Goto http://members.aol.com/RMOLLISE/index.html

I'd say it's none of your business what astronomers do.

Clear, Dark, Steady Skies!
(And considerate neighbors!!!)

On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 02:50:47 -0400, Richard wrote:

There are too many moons in the solar system. Cassini just found 2
more around Saturn. It's time to set a limit on the minimum size a
moon can be to be considered a moon and not just a rock that happens
to be caught in the planet's gravity. I'd say limiting the size to
10km in diameter is probably a good ratio. This will eliminate a few
around Jupiter and Saturn from being considered moons.

Personally, I'm fine calling orbiting rocks "moons". It is a simple system: any
object orbiting a star that is large enough to collapse into an approximately
spherical shape is a planet; anything orbiting a planet is a moon.

_________________________________________________

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

In the early days, satellites were called "artificial moons." Technically, an
orbiting object of any size is a moon.

jt

There are too many moons in the solar system. Cassini just found 2
more around Saturn. It's time to set a limit on the minimum size a
moon can be to be considered a moon and not just a rock that happens
to be caught in the planet's gravity. I'd say limiting the size to
10km in diameter is probably a good ratio. This will eliminate a few
around Jupiter and Saturn from being considered moons.

Personally, I'm fine calling orbiting rocks "moons". It is a simple system:
any
object orbiting a star that is large enough to collapse into an approximately
spherical shape is a planet; anything orbiting a planet is a moon.

_______________________________________________ __

Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com

"Richard" wrote in message
...
There are too many moons in the solar system. Cassini just found 2
more around Saturn. It's time to set a limit on the minimum size a
moon can be to be considered a moon and not just a rock that happens
to be caught in the planet's gravity. I'd say limiting the size to
10km in diameter is probably a good ratio. This will eliminate a few
around Jupiter and Saturn from being considered moons.

Ya, Like Mercury!..it's even smaller than our moon. It is a minor planet
too as is Pluto and that
overgrown chunk of ice Chiron circling it.

Personally, I'm fine calling orbiting rocks "moons". It is a simple
system: any
object orbiting a star that is large enough to collapse into an
approximately
spherical shape is a planet; anything orbiting a planet is a moon.



Ok then hotshot, lets rename the asteroid belt the mars-jupiterdlian moon
belt

Ok then hotshot, lets rename the asteroid belt the mars-jupiterdlian moon
belt

They orbit the Sun, NOT a planet. So they are NOT a moon belt.
Clear, Dark, Steady Skies!
(And considerate neighbors!!!)