Saturn has dozens of new moons, bringing it to a total of 274. All of the new moons are between 2 and 4 kilometres wide, but at what point is a rock too small to be a moon?
This is a great question. It’s like asking when a rock is too small to be a planet. I suspect there were be a definition eventually that mirrors the planetary definition – something like “spherical(ish) and clears its orbit”. The issue is that Mars would lose its two moons under that definition.
So we might end up with something like “moons” vs “natural satellites” and Mars will just have to suck it up.
This is a great question. It’s like asking when a rock is too small to be a planet. I suspect there were be a definition eventually that mirrors the planetary definition – something like “spherical(ish) and clears its orbit”. The issue is that Mars would lose its two moons under that definition.
So we might end up with something like “moons” vs “natural satellites” and Mars will just have to suck it up.
Moons vs. dwarf moons? (Sounds like a fantasy novel series.)