Moon

From Jolkein

The term moon (never capitalized) is used to mean any natural satellite of the other planets. There are presumably many others orbiting the planets of other stars. Typically the larger gas giants have extensive systems of moons while terrestrial planets have a few moons. A moon was defined as a naturally occurring object that orbited a celestial body, such as a planet or other body larger than itself. Moons could vary in size, atmospheric conditions, climate, indigenous life, and other such categories. Some moons were barren rocks that existed in the vacuum of space, while others could be covered in lush, dense jungle. The number of moons a planet had could also vary greatly.


Most moons are assumed to have been formed out of the same collapsing region of protoplanetary disk that gave rise to its primary. However, there are many exceptions and variations to this standard model of moon formation that are known or theorized. Several moons are thought to be captured foreign objects, fragments of larger moons shattered by large impacts, or a portion of the planet itself blasted into orbit by a large impact. As most moons are known only through a few distant observations through probes or telescopes, most theories about them are still uncertain.


Most moons are tidally locked to their primaries. No moons have moons of their own; the tidal effects of their primaries make orbits around them unstable. However, several moons have companions in their Lagrangian points.

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