Outpost Universe Forums

Off Topic => General Interest => Debate => Topic started by: Tellaris on August 23, 2004, 04:03:49 PM

Title: Moons!
Post by: Tellaris on August 23, 2004, 04:03:49 PM

Saturn has a lot of moons.   Current amount is 33 I believe.   How many do you think it has?   Note, most of these moons are pretty much asteroids dragged into orbit.

This gives me a reason to play with the poller too.

Title: Moons!
Post by: Zircon on August 23, 2004, 04:28:33 PM

As of Monday, August 16, 2004 the total tally of Saturn moons is 33. (take or give a day, taken from a news source)

However i don't doubt that the total amount of moons is atleast in the 40-50 number.
However such small "moons"  up around the 50 area that would be very hard see would probably be labelled small "satellites" instead... (smaller then ordinary asteroids)

Title: Moons!
Post by: Betaray on August 23, 2004, 04:52:18 PM

is this really a dabate?

lets just say it has, alot

lol

Title: Moons!
Post by: Shuffles on July 06, 2005, 01:13:19 PM

I would say this debate is not haw many, but more, what defines a moon.

Saturn only has about 18 moons.
 The rest are just small chunks of rock not worthy of the title "moon"( In my opinion).  They keep adding more because detecting technology is getting better and we can see smaller and smaller objects.  When will it end?

Anyways, pehaps their title of "moon" is deserved as they are actually useful to Saturn in one way.  Most of these asteroid-moons are called shephard moons. The shephard moons are largely responsible for Saturn's beautiful ring system.  The moons do exactly what their naem suggests, guide the rings of Saturn (billions of small chunks of rock) into paths as well as help make them hold their shape.

Back to the problem.  When will it end?  I say there should be a limit on what defines a moon, possibly some sort of mathematical equation, or just a fixed number on the minimum requirements of a moon.  I vote less that 33 because I believe the hit the number of moons Saturn has now and are just wasting time naming small asteroids that just so happen to be orbiting Saturn.

Title: Moons!
Post by: Hooman on July 06, 2005, 04:28:10 PM

Interesting topic, but the decision is completely arbitrary as to what people will call a moon. Does it really matter?  

Title: Moons!
Post by: CK9 on July 06, 2005, 04:58:35 PM

no

Title: Moons!
Post by: Shuffles on July 06, 2005, 10:10:47 PM

correct.

Title: Moons!
Post by: Eddy-B on July 07, 2005, 02:01:29 AM

Moon = satellite
Satellite != moon !

even our little planets has 100's of satellites orbitting it, yet only 1 moon. Definition of a satellite is 'something that orbits another body' wich also includes that 'body' can be anything. even our moon could have satellites..

Title: Moons!
Post by: CK9 on July 07, 2005, 10:33:00 AM

space junk, collect it all and make a moon, lol