moonlet

[ moon-lit ]

noun

1. a small natural or artificial satellite, as one of a number of natural satellites thought to be embedded in the ring system of Saturn.

Word History and Origins

Origin of moonlet¹

First recorded in 1825–35; moon + -let

Example Sentences

The team derived the age of Selam, a "moonlet" circling the small asteroid Dinkinesh in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, based only on dynamics, or how the pair moves in space.

From Science Daily

These particles can't reform a moonlet if they are close to the planet and within the Roche limit, because tidal forces from the parent body constantly rip them apart and prevent them from clumping, according to the researchers.

From Scientific American

"We've got to find some way of stopping that moonlet forming that far out," Dhillon said.

From Scientific American

"The particles in the ring are colliding all the time, and if these collisions are elastic, it means the particles can't stick together to form a moonlet."

From Scientific American

The Dimorphos moonlet is one of the smallest astronomical objects to receive a permanent name and is one of 27,500 known near-Earth asteroids of all sizes tracked by NASA.

From Reuters