shepherd-moon
shepherd satellite
noun
a small moon orbiting near a planetary ring, whose gravitational pull helps confine the ring and the ring's extent.
Also called shepherd moon.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To shepherd-moon
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
shepherd satellite  (shěp'ərd) Pronunciation Key
A moon that orbits near the edge of a planetary ring, stabilizing the ring's particles through gravitational pull and confining the ring to a sharply defined band. For example, the moons of Uranus known as Cordelia and Ophelia are shepherd satellites that constrain Uranus's rings to a narrow band. It is believed that the gravity of the fast-moving inner satellite Cordelia causes the particles of the inner ring to speed up and move to outer orbits, while at the same time the gravity of the slower, outer satellite Ophelia decelerates outer particles, pushing them inward. The result is a compressed, well-defined ring. Also called shepherd moon. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
00:10
Shepherd-moon
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
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