satellite, natural, celestial body orbiting a planet, dwarf planet, asteroid, or star of a larger size. The most familiar natural satellite is the earth's moon moon, natural satellite of a planet (see satellite, natural ) or dwarf planet, in particular, the single natural satellite of the earth .
The moon is the earth's nearest neighbor in space.
..... Click the link for more information. ; thus, satellites of other planets are often referred to as moons. Within the solar system the earth's moon is the largest satellite in relation to its planet and Charon is even larger relative to the dwarf planet Pluto, although neither is the largest in actual size. The largest natural satellite, Jupiter's Ganymede, is 3,268 mi (5,262 km) in diameter, and it and Saturn's Titan are both larger than the planet Mercury. In comparison, some satellites are quite small, e.g., Deimos, the outer satellite of Mars, is c.4 mi (6 km) in diameter. Neither of the inferior planets, Mercury or Venus, has a known satellite; all of the superior planets (those whose orbits lie beyond the orbit of the earth) have at least two known satellites (Mars Mars, in astronomy, 4th planet from the sun, with an orbit next in order beyond that of the earth.
Mars has a striking red appearance, and in its most favorable position for viewing, when it is opposite the sun, it is twice
..... Click the link for more information. , 2; Jupiter Amalthea (diameter: 117 mi/189 km), a small, elongated satellite discovered (1892) by Edward Barnard , probably results from a coating of sulfur particles ejected from Io.
Metis (diameter: 25 mi/40 km),
Adrastea (diameter: 12 mi/20 km), and
..... Click the link for more information. , 63; Saturn Saturn, in astronomy, 6th planet from the sun.
Saturn's orbit lies between those of Jupiter and Uranus; its mean distance from the sun is c.886 million mi (1.
..... Click the link for more information. , 48; Uranus Uranus (y
rā`nəs, y
..... Click the link for more information. , 27; Neptune Neptune, in astronomy, 8th planet from the sun at a mean distance of about 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km) with an orbit lying between those of Uranus and the dwarf planet Pluto; its period of revolution is about 165 years.
..... Click the link for more information. , 13). A number of satellites, e.g., Phoebe of Saturn, Triton of Neptune, and most of the small outer moons of Jupiter and Uranus, have retrograde motion retrograde motion, in astronomy, real or apparent movement of a planet, dwarf planet, moon, asteroid, or comet from east to west relative to the fixed stars.
..... Click the link for more information. and may be asteroids that were captured by the planet's gravitation. The asteroid Ida has a tiny moon, Dactyl, that is about a mile (1.6 km) in diameter and orbits about 60 mi (97 km) above Ida's surface.
The Earth-Moon System
The moon is the earth's nearest neighbor in space.
..... Click the link for more information. ; thus, satellites of other planets are often referred to as moons. Within the solar system the earth's moon is the largest satellite in relation to its planet and Charon is even larger relative to the dwarf planet Pluto, although neither is the largest in actual size. The largest natural satellite, Jupiter's Ganymede, is 3,268 mi (5,262 km) in diameter, and it and Saturn's Titan are both larger than the planet Mercury. In comparison, some satellites are quite small, e.g., Deimos, the outer satellite of Mars, is c.4 mi (6 km) in diameter. Neither of the inferior planets, Mercury or Venus, has a known satellite; all of the superior planets (those whose orbits lie beyond the orbit of the earth) have at least two known satellites (Mars Mars, in astronomy, 4th planet from the sun, with an orbit next in order beyond that of the earth.
Physical Characteristics
Mars has a striking red appearance, and in its most favorable position for viewing, when it is opposite the sun, it is twice
..... Click the link for more information. , 2; Jupiter Amalthea (diameter: 117 mi/189 km), a small, elongated satellite discovered (1892) by Edward Barnard , probably results from a coating of sulfur particles ejected from Io.
Metis (diameter: 25 mi/40 km),
Adrastea (diameter: 12 mi/20 km), and
..... Click the link for more information. , 63; Saturn Saturn, in astronomy, 6th planet from the sun.
Astronomical and Physical Characteristics of Saturn
Saturn's orbit lies between those of Jupiter and Uranus; its mean distance from the sun is c.886 million mi (1.
..... Click the link for more information. , 48; Uranus Uranus (y
rā`nəs, y..... Click the link for more information. , 27; Neptune Neptune, in astronomy, 8th planet from the sun at a mean distance of about 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km) with an orbit lying between those of Uranus and the dwarf planet Pluto; its period of revolution is about 165 years.
..... Click the link for more information. , 13). A number of satellites, e.g., Phoebe of Saturn, Triton of Neptune, and most of the small outer moons of Jupiter and Uranus, have retrograde motion retrograde motion, in astronomy, real or apparent movement of a planet, dwarf planet, moon, asteroid, or comet from east to west relative to the fixed stars.
..... Click the link for more information. and may be asteroids that were captured by the planet's gravitation. The asteroid Ida has a tiny moon, Dactyl, that is about a mile (1.6 km) in diameter and orbits about 60 mi (97 km) above Ida's surface.
How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
| ?Page tools | ||
|---|---|---|
|