OK, I've run some numbers on the lesser moon. Feel free to comment.
The lesser moon orbits from 1.38 to 6.72 times the orbit of the greater moon
and has an absolute diameter 28% of the greater moon. Together these mean the
lesser moon varies from 20% to 4% of the greater moon in apparent size.
The lesser moon has a sidereal period of 8.66 times that of the greater moon.
I still need to work out what this comes to in planetary days, but it should
be close to 230 days. (This may need explaining. I think there are laws
which prevent a moon from having a period more that 1/6 or 1/3 of the period of
its primary.)
Tidal force is generally negligible, but at it's closest the lesser moon
exerts a force equal to one-quarter of the solar tide so we can have passages
which are only open when the lesser moon combines with the solar tide, and so
forth.
I'll work out the details (with any changes people would like) and try to put
all the information up on the phoenyx web site this weekend.
Jefferson (Exquaestio)
http://www.picotech.net/~jeff_wilson63/rpg/
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