moonlet
noun
moon·let
| \ ˈmün-lət
\
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Definition of moonlet
: a small natural or artificial satellite
Examples of moonlet in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Small moonlets are forming from ring particles that coalesce together. — Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, "A brief astronomical history of Saturn’s amazing rings," 14 Aug. 2019 Instead, the researchers found that Saturn's inner moons likely formed through a series of collisions between tiny moonlets, known as the pyramidal regime formation scenario. — Charles Q. Choi, Space.com, "Here's Why Saturn's Inner Moons Are Shaped Like Ravioli and Potatoes," 22 May 2018 Sometimes the chunks collide and coalesce into objects large enough to be called moons or at least moonlets. — Steven Austad, AL.com, "Obituary for a star," 30 Oct. 2017 Cassini discovered six moons — some barely a mile or two across — as well as swarms of moonlets that are still part of Saturn’s rings. — Washington Post, "NASA’s Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft faces fiery finish," 12 Sep. 2017 Cassini scientists believe that this is one prominent region where large bodies, or moonlets, are found. — Stav Ziv, Newsweek, "NASA's Cassini: Best Photos of Saturn and its Moons As Spacecraft Prepares for Grand Finale Death Dive," 6 Sep. 2017 While Enceladus and Titan stole the show, Cassini, on its way to taking a total of more than 450,000 images, documented the intricacies of Saturn and its orbiting rings and moonlets. — Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "After a dive into Saturn, Cassini spacecraft melts into history," 15 Sep. 2017 According to Kaplan, about 20 moonlets likely combined to form the current moon. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Earth’s Moon Could Be Made From 20 Mini Moons," 11 Jan. 2017 On close inspection, Saturn’s rings — the jewels of the solar system — dissolved into 10,000 grooves, like a vinyl record’s, braided, kinked and patrolled by tiny moonlets. — Dennis Overbye, New York Times, "A Reverie for the Voyager Probes, Humanity’s Calling Cards," 21 Aug. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'moonlet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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