Moons (Reference)

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Reference Page

This page contains generally accepted notes on a concept shared amongst many Scopes. This page can serve as a reference page to be linked to in any article mentioning it and if so, then said page/Scope assumes everything contained within to be canon.

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Moons Overview

Moons, like planets, are a constant fixture within Scopes. They exist in various forms and classifications based on their size, formation, and orbital characteristics.

Classes of Moons

Major Moon

A major moon is a celestial body in orbit around a parent planet that is large enough to reach hydrostatic equilibrium, making it spherical under its own gravity.

Major moons typically form from debris in a planet's accretion disk, though some may originate as captured satellites.

Dwarf Moon/Minor Moon

Dwarf moons (Minor moons) are small celestial bodies comparable to asteroids in orbit around a planet. They can vary widely in size, shape, and composition but are too small to reach hydrostatic equilibrium.

Dwarf moons can form alongside a parent planet or be captured by its gravity.

Dual-Planet Moon

A dual-planet moon is a celestial body close in size to its parent planet, leading both to orbit a shared barycenter. For classification as a "moon," the smaller body must exert less gravitational influence over the barycenter.

Dual-planet moons can form from debris left over from a planet's formation, but they may also be captured later.

Captured Moon

A captured moon is a celestial body originally orbiting a star that was later pulled into orbit by a planet's gravity.

Captured moons often have unstable orbits, which can degrade over time, leading them to either escape, collide with the planet, or form a ring system.

Subsatellite

A subsatellite, or moonmoon, is a celestial body orbiting a moon. Subsatellites can form from impact debris or be captured later.

Quasi-Satellite

A quasi-satellite orbits a star in a co-orbit with a planet. These objects are only temporarily stable and often get ejected or captured as moons.

Quasi-satellites are usually small asteroids but can sometimes be planets.

Trojan

A Trojan is a celestial object that shares an orbital path with a planet around a star at a stable Lagrangian point. Moons can also have Trojan companions.

Trojan orbits are typically stable over long periods, allowing objects to remain in them for extended periods.

Centaur

A centaur is a celestial object with an unstable orbit influenced by a planet's gravity, usually crossing the orbits of other planets.

Centaurs often originate from asteroid belts and may become gravitationally bound to other objects.

Planetary Rings

Planetary rings are bands of debris orbiting a celestial body. They usually form from moons crossing a planet's Roche limit, causing them to break apart, or from impact ejecta.

Ring systems can last for extended periods but will eventually dissipate or form new moons.

Shepherd Satellite

A shepherd satellite is a moon orbiting near a planetary ring, using its gravitational field to shape and maintain the ring’s structure.

Shepherd satellites can be internal (within the ring) or external (outside the ring).

Companion Satellite

A companion satellite orbits between two celestial bodies in a dual-planet system. Most companion satellites are captured objects.

Proseltellian Satellite

A proseltellian satellite is a celestial body captured in a predictable, repeating orbit between two or more planets.

Most proseltellian satellites eventually become captured moons or are ejected from the system.

Astra-Moon

An astra-moon is a major moon that produces heat and light through tidal heating and magnetic activity. An astra-moon can sustain ecosystems on other neighboring moons through its radiation and heat output.

Artificial Satellite

An artificial satellite is an object created by an intelligent species or sapient individual and placed into orbit. These satellites can serve various purposes, such as communication, observation, or defense.

Natural objects can also be turned into artificial satellites through intentional placement by advanced civilizations or sapient individuals.

Orbits

Regular Orbit

A regular orbit is a stable and predictable orbit along the same plane as a planet’s rotation. Most regularly orbiting moons formed alongside their parent planet.

Irregular Orbit

An irregular orbit is unstable, with a moon orbiting at varying distances and inclinations. Irregular orbits often result from gravitational perturbations or capture events.

Polar Orbit

A polar orbit crosses a planet’s poles in a stable, circular path.

Changing Orbit

A changing orbit is an orbit that shifts between two or more patterns in a predictable cycle.

Horseshoe Orbit

A horseshoe orbit involves two moons sharing a similar orbital path. Their gravitational interaction causes them to switch positions in a repeating cycle.