{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.natural-satellite","code":"thing-q2537","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q2537/","name":"natural satellite","alternateNames":["co-orbital moon","extrasolar moon","claimed moons of Earth","unconfirmed extrasolar moon","regular moon","planetary moon","captured moon","Moonbeam","irregular moon","icy moon","moonlet","shepherd moon"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A celestial body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet or smaller body, also called a moon, ranging from large moons such as Ganymede and Titan, bigger than Mercury, to tiny irregular moonlets; forms the registry aliases name include regular moons on close circular orbits formed with their planet, planetary moons in general, co-orbital moons sharing an orbit, and exomoons or extrasolar moons around planets of other stars, which remain unconfirmed, along with claimed moons of Earth, historical or quasi-satellite claims that are not true moons. The Solar System has hundreds of known moons, and counts change as surveys continue, so figures should be checked against current sources.","purpose":"Let an agent explain natural satellites, relay types, formation, notable moons and the status of exomoons from planetary science sources with counts checked against current data, describe the named forms, and distinguish natural satellites from planets, dwarf planets, artificial satellites, ring particles and quasi-satellites.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Orbits a planet or body","Regular or irregular orbits","Varied sizes","Exomoons unconfirmed"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a natural satellite is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a natural satellite, and how does it differ from planets, dwarf planets, artificial satellites, ring particles and quasi-satellites?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about a current moon count, which should be checked against current sources?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"forms","name":"Forms","description":"Named forms.","findings":[{"id":"forms-finding","name":"Forms","description":"Forms.","questions":[{"text":"What are regular, co-orbital and extrasolar moons, and what are claimed moons of Earth?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific form?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"formation","name":"Formation","description":"Formation.","layers":[{"id":"origins","name":"Origins","description":"Origins of moons.","findings":[{"id":"origins-finding","name":"Origins","description":"Origins.","questions":[{"text":"How do moons form by accretion, capture or giant impact?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"orbits","name":"Orbits","description":"Orbit types.","findings":[{"id":"orbits-finding","name":"Orbits","description":"Orbits.","questions":[{"text":"How do regular and irregular moon orbits differ?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"moons","name":"Moons","description":"Notable moons.","layers":[{"id":"large","name":"Large moons","description":"Large moons.","findings":[{"id":"large-finding","name":"Large moons","description":"Large moons.","questions":[{"text":"What are notable large moons such as Ganymede, Titan and the Moon?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Titan?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"small","name":"Small moons","description":"Moonlets.","findings":[{"id":"small-finding","name":"Small moons","description":"Small moons.","questions":[{"text":"What are irregular moons and moonlets?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the information accurate?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Exomoons.","layers":[{"id":"exomoons","name":"Exomoons","description":"Extrasolar moons.","findings":[{"id":"exomoons-finding","name":"Exomoons","description":"Exomoons.","questions":[{"text":"What is the status of exomoon detection, checked against current sources?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral and attributed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"quasi","name":"Quasi-satellites","description":"Quasi-satellites.","findings":[{"id":"quasi-finding","name":"Quasi-satellites","description":"Quasi-satellites.","questions":[{"text":"Why are Earth s quasi-satellites not true moons?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits quasi-satellite?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Give the number of known moons of a body with a source and date.","Explain how moons form and how quasi-satellites differ from true moons."],"mustNot":["Present a stale moon count as current.","Count a quasi-satellite as a true moon or exclude a temporarily captured natural body solely because its orbit around the host is temporary.","Present exomoon candidates as confirmed discoveries.","Attribute a discovery to the wrong team or person."],"requiresHuman":["Announcing a new moon or exomoon discovery to the public."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Public trust in science depends on not overstating discoveries.","Credit for discoveries matters to the researchers who made them."],"affectedParties":["Astronomers","Students and the public"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns them; the International Astronomical Union names and recognises them.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Minor Planet Center and planetary satellite data"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q1297322","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q3132741","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"satellite","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"planet","type":"related"},{"target":"artificial satellite","type":"related"},{"target":"quasi-satellite","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.natural-satellite","Wikidata: Q2537 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2537)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["largest moon: Ganymede note - larger than Mercury","known Solar System moons: hundreds count - check current","confirmed exomoons: none firmly confirmed note - check current"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Body orbiting a planet or smaller body","Co-orbital moon, extrasolar moon, claimed moons of Earth, unconfirmed extrasolar moon, regular moon, planetary moon","Planets orbit the Sun; dwarf planets are smaller; artificial satellites are made; ring particles are tiny; quasi-satellites only appear to orbit a planet","Rocky or icy bodies orbiting planets, from spherical worlds to irregular lumps."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain types and formation","relay notable moons","describe named forms","relay exomoon status with attribution"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Stale moon counts","Treating quasi-satellites as true moons","Overstating exomoon confirmation"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["IAU nomenclature for moons"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Bodies orbiting planets and smaller objects.","regular moons","irregular moons","co-orbital and trojan moons","candidate exomoons"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q2537: natural satellite","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2537","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Natural satellite","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_satellite","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["How should moon counts be kept current?","Should candidate exomoons be flagged as unconfirmed?","Should co-orbital moons be a separate entry?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q2537/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q2537/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-14T01:54:20Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:29+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}