Moonlet
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in Saturn's A Ring, just outside the Encke Gap A moonlet, minor moon, minor natural satellite, or minor satellite is a particularly small natural satellite orbiting a planet, dwarf planet, or minor planet. Up until 1995, moonlets were only hypothetical components of Saturn's F-ring structure, but in that year, the Earth passed through Saturn's ring plane. The Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory both captured objects orbiting close or near the F-ring. In 2004, Cassini caught an object 4–5 kilometers in diameter on the outer ring of the F-ring and then 5 hours later on the inner F-ring, showing that the object had orbited. Several different types of small moons have been called moonlets: * A belt of objects embedded in a planetary ring, especially around Saturn, such as those in the A Ring, S/2009 S 1 and S/2009 S 2 in the B Ring ("propeller" moonlets), and those in the F Ring * Occasionally asteroid moons, such as those of 87 Sylvia * Flashes seen near Jupiter's moon Amalthea that is likely debris ejected from its surface * Subsatellites
in Saturn's A Ring, just outside the Encke Gap]] ]] ]] ]] A moonlet, minor moon, minor natural satellite, or minor satellite is a particularly small natural satellite orbiting a planet, dwarf planet, or minor planet. Up until 1995, moonlets were only hypothetical components of Saturn's F-ring structure, but in that year, the Earth passed through Saturn's ring plane. The Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory both captured objects orbiting close or near the F-ring. In 2004, Cassini caught an object 4–5 kilometers in diameter on the outer ring of the F-ring and then 5 hours later on the inner F-ring, showing that the object had orbited. Several different types of small moons have been called moonlets: A belt of objects embedded in a planetary ring, especially around Saturn, such as those in the A Ring, S/2009 S 1 and S/2009 S 2 in the B Ring ("propeller" moonlets), and those in the F Ring Occasionally asteroid moons, such as those of 87 Sylvia Flashes seen near Jupiter's moon Amalthea that is likely debris ejected from its surface Subsatellites ==See also== Minor-planet moon Natural satellite Ring system ==References== ==Further reading== Google Book Search for "moonlet"
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