irregular moon
Orbiting captured object
An irregular moon is a natural satellite with an orbit that deviates from the regular pattern—typically elliptical, highly inclined, or retrograde rather than circular and aligned with the planet's equator.
Most irregular moons are thought to be captured asteroids or comets rather than bodies that formed alongside their planet.
Jupiter and Saturn have dozens of them.
- capturedTaken by force
- asteroidSun-orbiting rocky mass
- retrogradeMoving in reverse direction
- orbitCurved celestial path
- PhoebeFeminine name meaning radiant
Triton · distant · tumbling · eccentric · wobble · shepherd · tiny · scattered · debris · gravitational · wanderer · outer · outer planets · tilted · chaotic · moonlet · Nereid · Hyperion
irregular, moon, regular, irregularly, irregularity, regularity, regulate, regulation, regulator