Janus (moon)

Janus is an inner satellite of Saturn. It is also known as Saturn X. It is named after the mythological Janus.

History

Discovery

Janus was identified by Audouin Dollfus on 15 December 1966 and given the temporary designation S/1966 S 2. Previously, Jean Texereau had photographed Janus on 29 October 1966 without realising it. On December 18, Richard Walker observed an object in the same orbit as Janus, but whose position could not be reconciled with the previous observations. Twelve years later, in October 1978, Stephen M. Larson and John W. Fountain realised that the 1966 observations were best explained by two distinct objects (Janus and Epimetheus) sharing very similar orbits, Rick Walker is now credited with the discovery of Epimetheus.Voyager 1 confirmed this orbital configuration in 1980. (See co-orbital moon for a more detailed description of their unique arrangement.)

Observational history

Janus was observed on subsequent occasions and given different provisional designations. Pioneer 11's three energetic-particle detectors detected its "shadow" when the probe flew by Saturn on 1 September 1979 (S/1979 S 2.) Janus was observed by Dan Pascu on 19 February 1980 (S/1980 S 1,) and then by John W. Fountain, Stephen M. Larson, Harold J. Reitsema and Bradford A. Smith on 23 February 1980 (S/1980 S 2.)

Janus (TV series)

Janus is an Australian drama television series screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1994 and 1995. Two series were produced, with a total of 26 episodes.

Janus (known in some countries as Criminal Justice) was a spin-off series from the earlier ABC-TV crime series Phoenix.

Loosely based on the true story of Melbourne's Pettingill family and the Walsh Street police shootings, Janus follows the bitterly fought prosecutions of a notorious criminal family, the Hennesseys, from the viewpoints of the family, the police and, in particular, the lawyers, prosecutors, barristers and judges involved in all aspects of the story.

When the series begins, four members of the infamous Hennessey clan are acquitted of the shooting of two young policemen in a bungled bank heist. The city of Melbourne is shocked as brothers Mal and Steve, along with brother-in-law Darren Mack and friend Ken Hardy, walk free.

The prosecutors, judges, magistrates and police—many modelled heavily on real-life legal figures—are determined to put the Hennessey members behind bars if they can. But corruption, legal loopholes, delays, and stretched resources combine to make the quest to jail the group far from straightforward.

Janus (Marvel Comics)

Janus is a fictional comic-book character that appears in the Marvel Comics universe.

Fictional character biography

The Golden Angel was a possessing spirit who claimed to be an angel, a messenger and warrior of God. This angel was revealed to have appeared to Dracula and thwarted his will in the past. As an angel, he battled Dracula and predicted his death, although he was then slain by Dracula.

Dracula and his wife Domini later conceived through mystical means via a spell of Anton Lupeski. An infant was born to them in Boston, Massachusetts, and they named this baby Janus. Dracula sired this child as part of a plan to use the Church of Satan to fulfill his plans for world domination. The baby was accidentally shot and killed by Lupeski during an attack by Quincy Harker, Rachel van Helsing, Frank Drake, and Harold H. Harold on Dracula. Domini resurrected Janus by merging him with the same seeming golden angel Dracula had encountered years earlier, returning Janus to life as an adult. Janus became Dracula's opponent however, and battled Dracula to prevent his victims from becoming vampires. Alongside Dracula, Frank Drake, and Topaz, Janus also battled a demonic creature. During the "Star Waaugh" incident, Janus teamed with Lectronn and Crimebuster (Moore) to deal with mystical debris related to the incident.

Janus (science fiction magazine)

Janus was a feminist science fiction fanzine edited by Janice Bogstad and Jeanne Gomoll in Madison, Wisconsin, and closely associated with that city's science fiction convention, WisCon (Several early WisCon program books doubled as special issues of Janus.) It was repeatedly nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Fanzine (1978, 1979 and 1980); this led to accusations that if Janus had not been feminist, it wouldn't have been nominated. Eighteen issues were published under this name from 1975–1980; it was succeeded by Aurora SF (Aurora Speculative Feminism).

References

External links

Moon

The Moon (in Greek: σελήνη Selene, in Latin: Luna) is Earth's only natural satellite. It is one of the largest natural satellites in the Solar System, and, among planetary satellites, the largest relative to the size of the planet it orbits (its primary). It is the second-densest satellite among those whose densities are known (after Jupiter's satellite Io).

The Moon is thought to have formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago, not long after Earth. There are several hypotheses for its origin; the most widely accepted explanation is that the Moon formed from the debris left over after a giant impact between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia.

The Moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face with its near side marked by dark volcanic maria that fill between the bright ancient crustal highlands and the prominent impact craters. It is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth's sky after the Sun, as measured by illuminance on Earth's surface. Although it can appear a very bright white, its surface is actually dark, with a reflectance just slightly higher than that of worn asphalt. Its prominence in the sky and its regular cycle of phases have, since ancient times, made the Moon an important cultural influence on language, calendars, art, and mythology.

Moon (visual novel)

Moon (styled as Moon.) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Tactics, a brand of Nexton, released on November 21, 1997 playable on Windows PCs. The game was described by the development team as a "Reaching the Heart AVG" (心に届くAVG, Kokoro ni Todoku AVG). The story follows the protagonist Ikumi Amasawa, a girl who joins an organization called Fargo in the hopes of discovering why and how her mother died, who was a member of the same group. The gameplay in Moon follows a branching plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the three female main characters. The game ranked twice in the national top 50 for best-selling PC games sold in Japan.

Much of the staff that created the game later became the founding members of the visual novel brand Key. Moon was the starting point for Key's origins, and was the first time the principal Key team was formed. A novel based on the game written by Midori Tateyama was released in July 1998 by Movic. The game's original soundtrack was released bundled with Dōsei's soundtrack in August 2000 at Comiket 58; Dōsei was Tactics' first game. Moon has been referenced in other media not directly related to the game, such as in Tactics' third game One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and in the second anime adaptation of Key's first game Kanon.

Natural satellite

A natural satellite is a celestial body that orbits another celestial body of greater mass (e.g., a planet, star, or dwarf planet), which is called its primary. For example, the Moon is a natural satellite of Earth, and Earth is a natural satellite of the Sun.

In the Solar System there are 173 known natural satellites which orbit within 6 planetary satellite systems. In addition, several other objects are known to have satellites, including three IAU-listed dwarf planets: Pluto, Haumea, and Eris.As of January 2012, over 200 minor-planet moons have been discovered. There are 76 known objects in the asteroid belt with satellites (five with two each), four Jupiter trojans, 39 near-Earth objects (two with two satellites each), and 14 Mars-crossers. There are also 84 known natural satellites of trans-Neptunian objects. Some 150 additional small bodies have been observed within the rings of Saturn, but only a few were tracked long enough to establish orbits. Planets around other stars are likely to have satellites as well, and although numerous candidates have been detected to date, none have yet been confirmed.