Weird exomoon candidate sparks debate on what counts as a moon

Astronomers analyzing the CD-35 2722 system, about 73 light-years away, report a moon‑like object orbiting a brown dwarf—an finding that could be the first exomoon or a case that forces a redefinition of what counts as a moon versus a planet. While the object is clearly moon‑like, the team stresses a definitive exomoon claim would require redefining established terms, since it orbits a body that itself orbits a star. The discovery, published in Nature, underscores the diversity of planetary systems and may be clarified further with observations from the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).