Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Moonlet


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was keep. John254 00:04, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

Moonlet

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Page was created as a "neologism not supported by reliable sources". Asteroid moons are not generally known as "moonlets", and in fact a page on them already exists. No sources have been cited to justify this claim. After the page was created, information on the "propeller moonlets" in Saturn's rings was added. These are in fact called "moonlets" in the scientific literature, but there is not yet enough information on them to justify a page of their own. The text in this page is basically pasted over from Rings of Saturn, which covers the topic adequately. BlueMoonlet (t/c) 04:22, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Keep, old term of 19th century vintage, that has had a variety of meanings even if it has never been a formal term. There are in fact numerous reliable sources that describe Dactyl (moon) as a "moonlet". There are also numerous sources that discuss the sizes and gravitational or impact effects of objects labeled "moonlets". Even if the _propeller_ moonlets are not yet notable on their own, the term is certainly one that deserves coverage separately from just part of the Saturn page. --Dhartung | Talk 07:27, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Sources: here NASA defines the term as a small moonlike object that orbits other "small" bodies in the universe. Here an asteroid-moonlet-discovering team uses the term "moonlet" to describe their discoveries. --Dhartung | Talk 07:32, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * A NASA press release is not anywhere close to authoritative. The definition used in that first link does not even apply to the discovery it is reporting -- namely propellers.  Saturn is not exactly a a "small" body!  --BlueMoonlet (t/c) 13:17, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * And it certainly isn't a neologism: Merriam-Webster dates it to 1832. (It's also in American Heritage and Random-House.) --Dhartung | Talk 07:54, 24 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Keep - The term seems well referenced and notable, and also distinct from asteroid moon due to its more fluid definition. It seems to be used frequently enough in the literature to merit inclusion. DJLayton4 (talk) 07:53, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Weak keep - as the person who wrote and then copied over the propeller moonlet paragraph, I think there's a point to this stub, if for no other reason than to being able to wikify the word 'moonlet' when it comes up. However, I don't feel strongly about it. — kwami (talk) 11:11, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I would make it a redirect to Rings of Saturn. --BlueMoonlet (t/c) 13:11, 24 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Response It is not a "neologism" in the sense of never having been used before, but treating it as a proper technical term for asteroid moons is a new and unsupported use. Yes, it has been used a few times, but it is not the generally accepted term.  A Google Scholar search on "dactyl moonlet" resulted in 21 hits, while a search on "dactyl moon" resulted in 1,230 hits.  There is nothing useful in this article that is not already included in Asteroid moon or Rings of Saturn.  --BlueMoonlet (t/c) 13:21, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Comment Having an encyclopedia article is not the same thing as "treating it as a proper technical term". We are an encyclopedia of ALL knowledge, not just what has passed an IAU committee. --Dhartung | Talk 23:30, 24 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Please identify a single piece of "knowledge" in this article that is not already in Asteroid moon or Rings of Saturn. --BlueMoonlet (t/c) 22:27, 25 March 2008 (UTC)


 * Comment. As it stands the article is more of a dictionary definition that an encyclopedia article, in that it is about the word moonlet rather than the thing or things represented by the word, which have their own articles. I would suggest making this a disambiguation page with links to Asteroid moon and Rings of Saturn. Phil Bridger (talk) 15:08, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
 * I would support that. --BlueMoonlet (t/c) 19:15, 26 March 2008 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.