Lunina

Lunina is a fictional celestial body that appears in science fiction literature and role-playing games. In many depictions, it is a small, irregularly shaped moon orbiting a gas giant or a dwarf planet in a distant star system. The name is used to explore topics such as tidal locking, surface regolith, and thin exospheres in both narrative and educational contexts.

Etymology and naming conventions follow common lunar-inspired practice. The name Lunina combines luna, the Latin word for moon, with a diminutive suffix, highlighting its imagined small size and lunar character. It is not associated with any confirmed real astronomical object.

Physical characteristics commonly attributed to Lunina in fiction vary, but it is often described as tens to a few hundred kilometers in diameter with a cratered, satellite-like surface. It is frequently portrayed as tidally locked to its primary, producing permanent day and night hemispheres. Many depictions assume an airless or extremely tenuous atmosphere, leading to large diurnal temperature swings. Some stories mention a sparse exosphere or frost particles but do not describe a sustained, breathable atmosphere.

In fiction and gaming, Lunina serves as a setting for exploration missions, resource extraction narratives, or terraforming experiments. It is used to illustrate orbital dynamics, surface geology, and the logistical challenges of sustaining life-support systems on small, airless bodies. The concept also appears in educational contexts to demonstrate planetary science fundamentals and the mechanics of moon-like bodies.