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Astronomers discover largest solar system

bbc.com

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Re: Astronomers discover largest solar system

#11

Post by sdrothrock »

jewel wrote: post #6
__michal wrote: post #2

Another system is no longer "solar", just planetary, as it evolves around another star, not the Sun. Or am I making this up?

It'd be nice to call it a stellar system for consistency, but that already means a group of interacting stars. Planetary system or exoplanetary system seems to be the right term to use.

Huh, "planetary system" wouldn't been my first choice. By analogy, if a solar system is a system about the Sun, a planetary system would seem to me to be a system about a planet e.g. Jupiter and its moons.

Re: Astronomers discover largest solar system

#12

Post by jessriedel »

sdrothrock wrote: post #11
jewel wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It'd be nice to call it a stellar system for consistency, but that already means a group of interacting stars. Planetary system or exoplanetary system seems to be the right term to use.

Huh, "planetary system" wouldn't been my first choice. By analogy, if a solar system is a system about the Sun, a planetary system would seem to me to be a system about a planet e.g. Jupiter and its moons.

Maybe "planetary system" is a system of planets, but a "planet system", like the "Jupiter system", would be the system for a single planet. That would make "stellar system" sensible too. Furthermore, a planetary system associated with a single star is a "star system".

One more option: "exosolar system".

Re: Astronomers discover largest solar system

#13

Post by jessriedel »

laretluval wrote: post #8
__michal wrote: post #2

Another system is no longer "solar", just planetary, as it evolves around another star, not the Sun. Or am I making this up?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/solar%20system Full Definition of solar system : the sun together with the group of celestial bodies that are held by its attraction and revolve around it; also : a similar system centered on another star

Yea, this is a case where different communities (astronomers vs. laymen) have different definitions. Astronomers use the restrictive definition of "solar" for just for "sol", but they also have a more expansive definition of "metal" to mean "anything but hydrogen and helium".

Re: Astronomers discover largest solar system

#14

Post by sdrothrock »

jessriedel wrote: post #12
sdrothrock wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh, "planetary system" wouldn't been my first choice. By analogy, if a solar system is a system about the Sun, a planetary system would seem to me to be a system about a planet e.g. Jupiter and its moons.

Maybe "planetary system" is a system of planets, but a "planet system", like the "Jupiter system", would be the system for a single planet. That would make "stellar system" sensible too. Furthermore, a planetary system associated with a single star is a "star system". One more option: "exosolar system".

That makes a lot of sense!

Re: Astronomers discover largest solar system

#16

Post by em3rgent0rdr »

jessriedel wrote: post #12
sdrothrock wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh, "planetary system" wouldn't been my first choice. By analogy, if a solar system is a system about the Sun, a planetary system would seem to me to be a system about a planet e.g. Jupiter and its moons.

Maybe "planetary system" is a system of planets, but a "planet system", like the "Jupiter system", would be the system for a single planet. That would make "stellar system" sensible too. Furthermore, a planetary system associated with a single star is a "star system". One more option: "exosolar system".

How about a "star+planet(s) system". Unambiguous, but can't easily pronounce.

Re: Astronomers discover largest solar system

#17

Post by restalis »

sdrothrock wrote: post #11
jewel wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It'd be nice to call it a stellar system for consistency, but that already means a group of interacting stars. Planetary system or exoplanetary system seems to be the right term to use.

Huh, "planetary system" wouldn't been my first choice. By analogy, if a solar system is a system about the Sun, a planetary system would seem to me to be a system about a planet e.g. Jupiter and its moons.

Nitpicks:

First, I would call it the Solar System. (Not any solar system, mind you.) That would be in line with existing nomenclature in which the Solar System¹ is the name of our planetary system².

Second, "moon" is not the best term (although I know it's in use like a lot of other "liberal English" words) and I would prefer "(natural) satellite"³ for this generic meaning and leave "moon" for the (Earth's) Moon⁴.

¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_System

² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetary_system

³ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_satellite

⁴ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon

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