05-15-2023, 11:20 PM
(05-15-2023, 10:32 PM)LP link Wrote:Like the change in the definition of Pluto, you might want to investigate "What is a Moon, and how it is defined?"
Technically these bodies are satellites, whether a satellite is natural or man made makes little difference, nobody "in the trade" calls them moons, moon is outreach / media speak things that go around a planet.
It's a bit like when referring to stars the media call them suns, there is really only one moon, moon is a satellite of earth!
Moon Scientists can call them whatever they like.
We've already established scientists are not the font of all wisdom and are still learning.
Big M =Moon-Earth's one
Little m=moon
National Geographic
"A moon is an object that orbits a planet or something else that is not a star. Besides planets, moons can circle dwarf planets, large asteroids, and other bodies. Objects that orbit other objects are also called satellites, so moons are sometimes called natural satellites. People have launched many artificial satellites into orbit around Earth, but these are not considered moons."