Re: Pluto Also tidally locked to Neptune
It is a pity that we have no name for a body that is in such a relationship. It was always the weakest point about the orbit-clearing business. Neptune has cleared its orbit. That Pluto survives is because it is in an orbital resonance and therefore is never in Neptune's path.
Wikipedia informs me that Laplace was the first person to analyse such systems so perhaps we could call Pluto a Laplacian moon of Neptune. Astonomers who care about orbital relationships can hang on the word "Laplacian". Planetary scientists who care about geology can hang on the word "moon".
Biting the hand that feeds IT
