Transcript moons - unexplainedbacon

MOONS
Of our solar system
What is a Moon?
• A natural satellite is an
object that orbits a planet or
other body Larger than itself
and which is not man-made. Such
objects are often called moons.
• (moons as a group are called “natural satellites”
the only true “moon” is earth’s moon, no other
natural satellite is named that.)
Earth’s Moon
• Earth’s only natural satellite; The moon is:
• The moon is 238900 miles from the earth.
• Does not give off it’s own light, it reflects
light from the sun.
• The moon is geologically dead. There is no
atmosphere, and no forces of erosion.
• The moon has no magnetic field.
• The moons surface is pocked with craters because
of hundreds of thousands of meteor impacts.
• The moon takes about 1 month to complete its
orbit, and during that time, it goes though
phases, where some of the moon is not reflecting
the light from the sun
Earth’s Moon: Cont’d
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The moon is 1/4th
earth’s radius,
and has 1/6th
its gravity.
The moon rotates
around the earth
every 27.5 days
How Many Natural Satellites
are There in Our Universe
• There are 168 known natural satellites in the
solar system, all varying in size, composition,
orbit, and even shape.
• Every planet has a moon except for mercury
and Venus
How Big are Most Natural Satellites?
Mars’ Moons
• Mars has two moons, Phobos and Demios.
• These are not actually moons, they are minor
satellites. They are small chunks of rock that
were caught in Mars’ gravitational pull
Jupiter’s Moons
• Jupiter’s moons were nicknamed “the Galilean
satellites, after the famous astronomer of the
same name.
• Jupiter has four large moons, Io, Europa,
Ganymede, and Callisto. It has many more,
but these our are the biggest.
• All of these moons are EXTREMLEY different
Io
• Io is the most volcanically active entity in the solar
system. Constant volcanic activity on it’s surface has
made the moon’s atmosphere almost pure sulfur.
• Io is the third largest of Jupiter’s moons and is the
fifth furthest from the planet.
• The same side of Io always points to Jupiter.
• Ganymede affects Io’s abundance of molten rock in
the same way that our moon does with the oceans,
as in it shifts their depth and position
Europa
• Because it is so far away from the sun,
Europa’s surface is comprised mainly of ice.
Under that is a vast, salt water ocean that
covers the entire planet.
• Europa’s composition is very similar to earth’s
in it form. It has a crust, a mantle and an iron
core.
• Just like Io, Europa is “phase locked” witch
means that the same side is facing it’s parent
planet at all times.
Ganymede
• Ganymede is our solar systems largest natural
satellite
• It is the only NS that has it’s own magnetic
field
• Ganymede’s crust, like Europa’s is composed
mainly of ice. The only difference is that
Ganymede’s crust is around 500 miles deep
Callisto
• Callisto has a diameter of 2985 miles, and it is
the third largest natural satellite in the solar
system. It is almost a big a mercury.
• It is the further away than any other moon
from Jupiter.
• Callisto is twice as bright as our moon.
• It is around four billion years old.