Extrasolar moon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The term Extrasolar moon refers to a natural (non-man-made) satellite that orbits an extrasolar planet or other extrasolar body larger than itself.
While traditional definitions imply that the parent object orbited by the moon is a planet, the discovery of planet-sized satellites around brown dwarfs blurs the distinction between planets and moons, due to the low mass of such failed stars. To resolve this confusion, the International Astronomical Union declared, "Objects with true masses below the limiting mass for thermonuclear fusion of deuterium (currently calculated to be 13 Jupiter masses for objects of solar metallicity) that orbit stars or stellar remnants are "planets" (no matter how they formed)."
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Shadow Moons: The Unknown Sub-Worlds that Might Harbor Life
- Likely First Photo of Planet Beyond the Solar System
- Working Group on Extrasolar Planets - Defintion of a "Planet" Position statement on the definition of a planet. (IAU)
