Moon Features
What is the duration of the Moon's orbit around the Earth?
What is the distance between the Moon and the Earth?
How does the Moon influence tidal movements?
General characteristics of natural satellites
- Education Generally speaking, natural satellites are usually formed from three main processes: gravitational capture by nearby objects, the accumulation of material during the formation of the host planet, or, in some cases, the result of massive collisions that break off fragments from the main body.
- Sizes and shapes:Natural satellites range from small irregular bodies, such as Phobos and Deimos of Mars, to giant moons such as Ganymede, the largest in the solar system, which is even larger than the planet Mercury. While the larger ones are usually spherical due to their own gravity, the smaller ones tend to have irregular shapes.
- Composition: Their structure can be rocky, icy, or a combination of both. For example, the Moon is mostly rocky, while Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, is covered in ice and is thought to host an underground ocean.
- Surfaces and atmospheres: The surfaces of natural satellites show great diversity. Some are covered with craters due to ancient impacts, such as Callisto, while others have dynamic features, such as the water geysers on Enceladus or the active volcanoes on Io. Only a few have significant atmospheres. Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is one example with a dense atmosphere of nitrogen and methane.
- orbits: Their paths around the planets also vary. Some have nearly circular and stable orbits, while others follow eccentric or even retrograde paths, moving in the opposite direction to the rotation of the planet.
