TODO
Celestial Body
vr.wm-spc-002 · wm-spc-002-celestial-body
Natural objects in space identified and characterised by orbit and physical properties.
World Models Physical world and living systems PHY.SPC.BDY
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
3 bundles · 4 layers · 5 findings · 10 questions
Identity and classification Which body this is and what kind it is.
Designation and class
Designations, names and dynamical or physical class.
Designation
The official designation and name with the authority that assigned them.
- What designation and name has the responsible authority assigned to this body?
- Has the body been linked to or merged with an earlier provisional designation?
Classification
The body's class, such as planet, moon, near-Earth asteroid or comet.
- Which class does the body belong to, and on which criteria?
- Is the classification disputed or recently changed?
Orbit and physical properties Where the body moves and what it is like.
Orbit
Orbital elements, epoch and uncertainty.
Orbit solution
A set of orbital elements with epoch and uncertainty.
- What are the current orbital elements, and at which epoch?
- How many observations and what arc length support the orbit, and how uncertain is it?
Physical characterization
Size, mass, rotation and composition.
Physical parameters
Measured or estimated size, mass, albedo and rotation period.
- Which physical parameters are measured and which are only estimated?
- Which observations or missions provided the measurements?
Risk and access Whether the body matters for Earth and missions.
Close approaches and missions
Close approaches, impact assessment and mission targeting.
Impact assessment
Close approach and impact probability assessments for near-Earth objects.
- Does the body make close approaches to Earth, and what impact assessment is published?
- Which official assessment body is responsible for the risk rating?
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.PHY.SPC.BDY
- Domain
- PHY.SPC.BDY
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- celestialbodyphy.spc.bdy
What it is Filled
A celestial body is a natural object in space, such as a star, planet, dwarf planet, moon, asteroid or comet, identified and characterized by its orbit and physical properties. The class covers natural bodies only; artificial satellites and debris are orbital objects, and observations of a body are recorded as observations.
Why it exists Filled
Natural objects in space identified and characterised by orbit and physical properties.
Distinguishing features Filled
- It covers natural bodies only; artificial satellites and debris are described as orbital objects.
- Identity rests on designations from recognized authorities and on an orbit linking observations.
- Orbits and physical parameters are estimates with uncertainty that change as observations accumulate.
- It differs from an astronomical observation, which is a single measurement of one or more bodies.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Announce an impact threat that the responsible assessment bodies have not published.
- Assign official names or designations, which are reserved to the recognized authority.
- Present estimated physical parameters as measured.
- Use outdated orbits for navigation or risk statements without stating their epoch.
Only with a human decision
- Reporting a potential new discovery to the responsible authority.
- Communicating impact risk to the public or to emergency services.
- Selecting a body as a mission target.
May
- Retrieve designations, orbital elements and physical parameters from authoritative catalogues.
- Compute positions from published orbits and report their uncertainty.
- Link observations to known bodies and report candidate new objects.
- Summarize published close approach and impact assessments.
Moral aspects Filled
- False or exaggerated impact claims can cause public alarm and erode trust in science.
- Naming of bodies and surface features can carry cultural meaning and should respect naming rules.
- Claims to resources on celestial bodies raise questions of fairness under space law.
Who is affected
- The general public
- Astronomers and observers
- Space agencies and mission teams
Owners Filled
Steward
The international astronomical authority responsible for designations and nomenclature, with data centres that maintain orbit and physical catalogues.
Master systems
- Minor body orbit catalogues
- Planetary nomenclature gazetteers
- Star and exoplanet catalogues
- Ephemeris services
Links to other meta-models Filled
neighbor
- world-p11-space-and-orbital-objects - Artificial satellites and debris are described there; natural bodies here.
references
- wm-spc-003-astronomical-observation - Observations of a body are recorded as astronomical observations.
related
- wm-spc-004-satellite-mission-programme - Missions may target or orbit celestial bodies.
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- A body is identified by its designation from the responsible authority, such as a minor planet number and name or a provisional designation.
- Stars are identified by catalogue numbers; ephemeris systems also assign numeric body identifiers.
Direct properties required Filled
- Orbital elements: semi-major axis in astronomical units, eccentricity, inclination in degrees, at a stated epoch.
- Diameter or radius in kilometres and mass in kilograms, with uncertainty.
- Rotation period in hours and geometric albedo as a dimensionless ratio.
- Absolute magnitude for small bodies, measured in a stated photometric band.
Recognition required Filled
- A body is recognized by its position and motion consistent with a known orbit, and by brightness and spectrum.
- Often confused with artificial satellites, space debris, image artefacts or background stars.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Its future position can be predicted from its orbit within stated uncertainty.
- New observations can be linked to it to refine the orbit.
- It can be characterized remotely or by spacecraft visits.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Impact of near-Earth objects on Earth.
- False alarms from short-arc orbits with large uncertainty.
- Navigation errors for spacecraft using outdated ephemerides.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- IAU designation and nomenclature rules.
- Minor Planet Center observation and orbit formats.
- SPICE kernels for ephemerides used in mission planning.
Context of use required Filled
- Used in astronomy, planetary science, planetary defence and mission planning.
- Activities on and around celestial bodies fall under the Outer Space Treaty.
Sources Filled
- Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature, IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature and USGS
- Minor Planet Center, International Astronomical Union
- Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (1967), United Nations
Open questions
- Planned model: boundary questions, research and every section remain to be written.
Machine files
Provenance
planned (registry candidate) · todo
Built from: models/runtime-index.json, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-spc-002-celestial-body.json
Planned entry, hidden from the catalogue until researched.