A moonletmoonette is a natural satellite of a moon without being a moon itself. A planet is also a natural satellite of a star. The use of the word “moon” as a common term for natural satellites of planets is well established in professional terminology.
A moon is a natural satellite. Our moon, Europa, Titan etc.
A moonlet is a very small natural satellite. Earhart in Saturn’s orbit for example.
A moon of a moon is a moonmoon or subsatellite.
Fair, I messed up the names there. Moonette is the synonym of that that I was thinking of.
But a satellite (natural or artificial) is any object that orbits around a celestial body. The Earth is a satellite just as the Moon is one. Subsatellite is just the satellite of a satellite, but that depends on context. Moons fit that definition, but aren’t usually considered subsatellites because we don’t usually think of planets as the satellites of the Sun that they are.
To be fair, we didn’t know there were more until Galileo showed up late to the party with his telescope.
And technically the Moon is the only Moon. The “correct” term for what’s colloquially called “moon” is “natural satellite”.
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moonletmoonette is a natural satellite of a moon without being a moon itself. A planet is also a natural satellite of a star. The use of the word “moon” as a common term for natural satellites of planets is well established in professional terminology.What, no.
A moon is a natural satellite. Our moon, Europa, Titan etc. A moonlet is a very small natural satellite. Earhart in Saturn’s orbit for example. A moon of a moon is a moonmoon or subsatellite.
Fair, I messed up the names there. Moonette is the synonym of that that I was thinking of.
But a satellite (natural or artificial) is any object that orbits around a celestial body. The Earth is a satellite just as the Moon is one. Subsatellite is just the satellite of a satellite, but that depends on context. Moons fit that definition, but aren’t usually considered subsatellites because we don’t usually think of planets as the satellites of the Sun that they are.
That’s boring, dry, and overly nonspecific. I refuse to accept it, be more creative.