natural satellite

(noun)

A natural satellite, moon, or secondary planet is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary.

Related Terms

Examples of natural satellite in the following topics:

  • Satellites

    • Natural satellites are celestial objects that orbit a larger body; artificial satellites are manmade objects put in the orbit of the Earth.
    • Natural satellites are often classified in terms of their size and composition, while artificial satellites are categorized in terms of their orbital parameters.
    • There are also 84 known natural satellites of trans-Neptunian objects.
    • Of the inner planets, Mercury and Venus have no natural satellites; Earth has one large natural satellite, known as the Moon; and Mars has two tiny natural satellites, Phobos and Deimos.
    • The seven largest natural satellites in the Solar System (those bigger than 2,500 km across) are Jupiter's Galilean moons (Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa), Saturn's moon Titan, Earth's moon, and Neptune's captured natural satellite Triton.

  • Muscle Development

    • Body builders enhance the natural developmental processes of myoblast muscle fusion and dedifferentiation into myosatellites to dramatically increase myosatellite mass, and thus muscle size and weight.
    • Myoblasts that do not form muscle fibers dedifferentiate back into satellite (myosatellite) cells .
    • Satellite cells are able to differentiate and fuse to augment existing muscle fibers and form new ones.
    • In undamaged muscle, the majority of satellite cells are quiescent; they neither differentiate nor undergo cell division.
    • Satellite cells are located between the basement membrane and sarcolemma (cell membrane) of individual muscle fibers.

  • Neuroglia of the Peripheral Nervous System

    • The two kinds of glia cells in the PNS, schwann cells and satellite cells, each have unique functions.
    • The PNS has two kinds of neuroglia: schwann cells and satellite cells.
    • Satellite cells are small glia that surround neurons' sensory ganglia in the ANS.
    • PNS satellite glia are very sensitive to injury and may exacerbate pathological pain.

  • Defective Viruses

    • Replication defective viruses (also known as satellites) are those that need the presence of other viruses to help them reproduce.
    • Satellites depend on co-infection of a host cell with a helper virus for productive multiplication.
    • When a satellite subviral agent encodes the coat protein in which it is encapsulated, it is then called a satellite virus.
    • Satellite viral particles should not be confused with satellite DNA.
    • These viruses that are dependent on the presence of other virus species in the host cell are called satellites.

  • Muscular Atrophy and Hypertrophy

    • Though not completely clear, it is suspected that the cause of sarcopenia is a combination of the decline of satellite cells to regenerate cells of skeletal muscle fibers, as well as a decreased sensitivity or availability of hormone cues, including growth factors, that stimulate maintenance muscles through regeneration of muscle fiber cells from satellite cells.
    • Natural hypertrophy normally stops at full growth in the late teens.

  • Isotopes

    • The five peaks in this spectrum demonstrate clearly that natural bromine consists of a nearly 50:50 mixture of isotopes having atomic masses of 79 and 81 amu respectively.
    • In the case of methylene chloride, the molecular ion consists of three peaks at m/z=84, 86 & 88 amu, and their diminishing intensities may be calculated from the natural abundances given above.
    • Two other common elements having useful isotope signatures are carbon, 13C is 1.1% natural abundance, and sulfur, 33S and 34S are 0.76% and 4.22% natural abundance respectively.
    • Although less important in this respect, 15N and 18O also make small contributions to higher mass satellites of molecular ions incorporating these elements.

  • Applications of the Parabola

    • They are frequently used in areas such as engineering and physics, and often appear in nature.
    • Today, paraboloid reflectors are common throughout much of the world in microwave and satellite dish receiving and transmitting antennas.

  • Radio Waves

    • Naturally occurring radio waves are made by lightning or by astronomical objects.
    • Artificially generated radio waves are used for fixed and mobile radio communication, broadcasting, radar and other navigation systems, communications satellites, computer networks and innumerable other applications.
    • Satellite dishes and cable transmission of TV occurs at significantly higher frequencies, and is rapidly evolving with the use of the high-definition or HD format.

  • Reactions to Sputnik

    • The Sputnik Crisis was the name for the mass panic that gripped American during the Soviets' launching of the space satellite.
    • Once the Soviets started to launch satellites into orbit, U.S. concern increased.
    • If the USSR could launch a satellite, it could also launch a nuclear warhead able to travel intercontinental distances.
    • Increased emphasis on the Navy's existing Project Vanguard to launch an American satellite into orbit, and a revival of the Army's Explorer program that preceded Vanguard in launching the first American satellite into orbit on January 31, 1958.
    • Sputnik, which means "satellite" in Russian, was the Soviet entry in a scientific race to launch the first satellite ever.

  • Clusters of Neuronal Cell Bodies

    • Satellite glial cells are a type of glial cell that line the exterior surface of neurons in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) .
    • Satellite glial cells (SGCs) also surround neuron cell bodies within ganglia.
    • Satellite cells also act as protective, cushioning cells.
    • Satellite glial cells are expressed throughout the sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia in their respective nervous system divisions.