Origin of Minmus

[Temstar]

So for the Mun, given it\'s physical properties we know it probably originated the same way as our Moon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_impact_hypothesis.

So what about Minmus? How do you think it came about?

Me I think it\'s a captured comet nucleus. Minmus seems to contain a lot of ice on it\'s surface but it\'s far too small to be an Europa analogue. The inclined orbit and small size seems to suggest it was captured by Kerbin\'s gravity in the past. Only problem with this theory is its orbit is too well circularized. If this thing is a dirty snowball from the outer planets then after being captured you\'ll expect it to have a pretty elliptical orbit. That said both Phobos and Deimos are likely to be captured asteroids yet both have a very circular orbit right on Mars\'s equatorial plane, so there would well be a mechanism to circularize captured objects.

[Orange7093]

So for the Mun, given it\'s physical properties we know it probably originated the same way as our Moon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_impact_hypothesis.

So what about Minmus? How do you think it came about?

Me I think it\'s a captured comet nucleus. Minmus seems to contain a lot of ice on it\'s surface but it\'s far too small to be an Europa analogue. The inclined orbit and small size seems to suggest it was captured by Kerbin\'s gravity in the past. Only problem with this theory is its orbit is too well circularized. If this thing is a dirty snowball from the outer planets then after being captured you\'ll expect it to have a pretty elliptical orbit. That said both Phobos and Deimos are likely to be captured asteroids yet both have a very circular orbit right on Mars\'s equatorial plane, so there would well be a mechanism to circularize captured objects.

I agree with the 'Maybe it was captured' hypothesis, But I disagree with the 'Maybe it was a comet' claim, As Minmus has, what appears to be lakebeds, Maybe it had some sort of lakes in it\'s past? Sort of like Titan, with lakes of Methane? Maybe it had an atmopshere at one point?

[NovaSilisko]

My guess is it\'s a distant body from the outer solar system, which fell inward after a collision, the collision and the sun helped to melt it slightly, leaving the smooth portions of the surface we see today. After a bit of orbiting, it was captured by kerbin, with the Mun gradually perturbing it into a circular orbit.

[Rascal Nag]

I feel that Minmus was formerly a part of another planet in the outer reaches of the star system. This planet had its own trojan asteroids, one of which was large enough to be classified as a dwarf planet. This dwarf planet worked its way out of its lagrangian point and collided with the larger planet, ejecting debris which escaped the planet\'s influence. Now in a new orbit of Kerbol, the pieces coalesced to form what we know as Minmus. Then, while crossing the path of Kerbin, it was captured.

Alternatively, Minmus was a moon of a gas giant in the outer system. A wandering planet came a bit too close to the gas giant and the one moon, and flung Minmus towards the gas giant. The velocity gained by this interaction flung the moon out of the gas giant\'s reach. Eventually, it found its way to Kerbin.

[Rocketscience101]

I personally agree that it may have been a former comet. Comets contain a hole tone of ice, and dwarf planets, are either farther out possibly in the asteroid belt or on the outer reaches of a solar system, that this could not be one. It may have run out of the gases that gave it that amazing tail, and kerbin, had intercepted its orbit, just at the right point, that put it in a good position to orbit kerbin. Possibly the last of the gasses was used to put it in it\'s final orbit, because it may have been in an escape orbit. These things may happen all the time with larger planets, like Jupiter, and smaller ones like Mars. I personally believe that is how Mars received its two moons in the first place. Although, I am surprised on how the Minmus is so round, many comets resemble potatoes, like Phobos and Demos, Mars\'s moons. This may be caused by impacts, shortly after the Minmus had began orbiting the Kerbin. Which had made it much smaller than what it was originally. The seas that we may see on the Minmus are most likely very large impacts. After the impacts, the dust around the Minmus, soon formed the outer layer we may see, because of gravity, larger dust particles picked up smaller ones, making them larger, and turning into the Minmus. Perhaps, the Minmus was formed, by gravity forming the ice particles from a destroyed comet, which made a smaller version of the Mun. Things like things though, are believed to take millions of years. So most recently do we see the finished product of the gravity forming planets, and moons.

[Anachronda]

I think Minmus is hollow, a spaceship from another system. Full of invaders.

'For Minmus is hollow and I have touched the sky'

[VincentMcConnell]

I bet I could come up with a whole hypothesis to its origins.

[BlackShadow03]

Clearly it is the Kerbal equivalent of Pluto, entering the Earths SOI so that it may accurately target the scientists that deem it no longer a 'true planet'. Scientists like Neil DeGrasse Kerbal are currently hunkered down in a safe bunker in a nondisclosed location, but Minimus knows it\'s merely a matter of time....

.....And a Dwarf Planet has millennia of time to bide....

[LaydeeDem]

[quote author= Neil DeGrasse Kerbal

[Spearka]

Minmus is way too big to be a comet nucleus, i think it is just a captured water-rich asteroid, like a miniturised Europa

[sal_vager]

I think HarvesteR likes mint icecream, so when they were deciding what the little moon from testing would look like HarvesteR looked up from his tub and said 'make it look like this' hence all the spoon marks.

[sirscott]

We must mount an expedition at once! This question can only be solved by taking samples of its Ice/Rock/Chewy-nougat centre!

[Temstar]

Minmus is way too big to be a comet nucleus, i think it is just a captured water-rich asteroid, like a miniturised Europa

Comets can get that big, this guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hale%E2%80%93Bopp for example is the same size as Minmus

[LaydeeDem]

Comets can get that big, this guy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comet_Hale%E2%80%93Bopp for example is the same size as Minmus

But it\'s not made of mint icecream though is it? Hah!

[sal_vager]

It\'s a conspiracy, they filmed the Minmus landings in an icecream factory, you can tell from the cold temperatures! And HarvesteR has never denied he likes mint icecream, irrefutable proof!

[MrMadGameplay]

Well our moon was formed by a planet size object smashing into earth and a large part of it started orbiting us, but maybe Minmus was a planet at one point and when something collided into it in another system it was sling shot out of the system and arrived in Kerbals system and it just so happened to pass by Kerbin and was slow enough to form an orbit and fast enough not to be pulled into Kerbin

[LukeTim]

If Minmus is a Comet... or is made of ice or whatever... Does that mean it will one day have a tail (if Harv et al feel it important enough to do what is necessary for that to happen).

Should it have a tail? Or does Kerbol not put out enough solar wind at the distance Minmus is at?

[Kryten]

Comets only form tails when they\'re venting material. One that\'s constantly close to it\'s star (like Minmus is) would rapidly run out of material to vent.

[LukeTim]

Comets only form tails when they\'re venting material. One that\'s constantly close to it\'s star (like Minmus is) would rapidly run out of material to vent.

Even when it\'s as big as Minmus? Or is Minmus an average size for a comet?

[RedDwarfIV]

Even when it\'s as big as Minmus? Or is Minmus an average size for a comet?

Think about it. Minmus has been there long enough to get tidally locked.

If it had been venting, it would not exist now.

[VincentMcConnell]

That\'s funny... I remember it only coming around in the last few days.

[Temstar]

Remember also, our sun is a G-type main-sequence star, where as Kerbol is a M-type red dwarf. Kerbol\'s energy output and solar wind are weak sauce compared to our sun so comets will need to be much closer to develop a tail.

[Joshua21B]

The creator of the kerbal universe put it there.

[FishyFishy13]

The information brought back from one of my rovers states that minmus is a ball of half eaten icecream with some frozen dip on it.

[FishyFishy13]

That\'s funny... I remember it only coming around in the last few days.

IT has been there sence the begining but our telescopes did see it till now =P.