Why Earth has only one Moon whereas Saturn, other Planets have more?
It’s no longer a puzzle why Earth has only one Moon whereas Saturn, Jupiter and other planets in our Solar System have more
It’s no longer a puzzle why Earth has only one Moon whereas Saturn, Jupiter and other planets in our Solar System have more.
A physics expert explained that currently, there are two main theories for why some planets have moons objects have a gravitational force of attraction on nearby objects.
The larger the object, the greater the force of attraction, according to a report by Discover Magazine.
Hill Sphere Radius
Astronomers refer to satellites as objects in space that orbit larger bodies. Since moon is not man-made, it is called a ‘natural satellite’.
In order for a satellite, natural or human-made, to orbit a planet, it has to be close enough of the planet to exert enough force to keep it in the orbit, according to Quinnipiac University.
The minimum distance for a planet to keep a satellite in orbit is called the Hill sphere radius.
Moons are either gravitationally captured if they are within the planet’s Hill sphere radius, or they’re formed along with a solar system.
The solar system is dominated by the sun's gravitational force, as it is the largest planet in our system.
It is based on the masses of both the larger and the smaller object, keeping each other in place.
Planets with more moons
Small planets like Mercury and Venus have a small Hill sphere radius, which is why they cannot experience a large gravitational pull. Any potential moons likely get pulled by the sun.
Planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune have larger Hill sphere radii and are farther from the sun, making it easy for them to attract and keep more moons in their orbit.
According to a recent study, Saturn has a total of 145 moons – a maximum by any planet in our solar system.
In terms of number of moons, Jupiter is second with 95 Moons.
Also, 121 of the 145 moons that Saturn has are ‘irregular moons.’
Irregular moons are characterised by their large, elliptical, and inclined orbits compared to regular moons. They tend to clump together into orbital groups based on the tilt of their orbits.
Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.
Post Comments