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.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/PIA11672_Giant_Propeller_in_A_Ring.jpg/220px-PIA11672_Giant_Propeller_in_A_Ring.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Earthart_ropeller.jpg/220px-Earthart_ropeller.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Bleriot_%28moon%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Santos-Dumont_propeller.jpg/220px-Santos-Dumont_propeller.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/A_ring_propeller_and_unseen_moon.jpg)
Up until 1995, moonlets were only hypothetical components of Saturn's F-ring structure, but in that year, the Earth passed through Saturn's ring plane. The Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory both captured objects orbiting close or near the F-ring. In 2004, Cassini caught an object 4–5 kilometers in diameter on the outer ring of the F-ring and then 5 hours later on the inner F-ring, showing that the object had orbited.[1]
Several different types of small moons have been called moonlets:
- A belt of objects embedded in a planetary ring, especially around Saturn, such as those in the A Ring, S/2009 S 1 in the B Ring ("propeller" moonlets),[2][3] and those in the F Ring[4]
- Occasionally asteroid moons, such as those of 87 Sylvia[5]
- Flashes seen near Jupiter's moon Amalthea that is likely debris ejected from its surface[6]
- Subsatellites[7]
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg/40px-Wiktionary-logo-en-v2.svg.png)
Look up moonlet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
References
Further reading
Links
🔥 Top keywords: Main PageSpecial:SearchPage 3Wikipedia:Featured picturesHouse of the DragonUEFA Euro 2024Bryson DeChambeauJuneteenthInside Out 2Eid al-AdhaCleopatraDeaths in 2024Merrily We Roll Along (musical)Jonathan GroffJude Bellingham.xxx77th Tony AwardsBridgertonGary PlauchéKylian MbappéDaniel RadcliffeUEFA European Championship2024 ICC Men's T20 World CupUnit 731The Boys (TV series)Rory McIlroyN'Golo KantéUEFA Euro 2020YouTubeRomelu LukakuOpinion polling for the 2024 United Kingdom general electionThe Boys season 4Romania national football teamNicola CoughlanStereophonic (play)Gene WilderErin DarkeAntoine GriezmannProject 2025