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Collection:
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NASA Solarsystem Collection
Collection
NASA Solarsystem Collection
Collection
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title:
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Moons of the Solar System
title
Moons of the Solar System
title
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description:
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All the planetary moons in our solar system are shown here at their correct relative size and true color. Their diversity of size and appearance is testament to the unique and fascinating geologic history that each of these bodies has undergone. Two of the moons are larger than the planet Mercury, and eight of them are larger than Pluto. Earth's Moon is the fifth largest of the set, with a diameter of 3476 kilometers (2160 miles). Most of the moons are thought to have formed from a disk of debris left over from formation of the planet they orbit. However Triton, Neptune's largest moon, and several of the smallest moons, including the moons of Mars, are thought to be captured planetesimals that formed elsewhere in the solar system. Earth's Moon is thought to have formed from the debris ejected from a roughly Mars-sized object colliding with the early Earth, perhaps a unique event in the history of the solar system. The moons are organized on the diagram by the planet they orbit (top to bottom with increasing distance from the Sun) and their position relative to the planet (left to right with increasing distance from the planet). Below is a listing of the names of all the moons and the planets they orbit. Most moons are named for mythological characters associated with the character the planet is named for. While most of the planets are named for Roman characters (with the exceptions of Pluto and Uranus), most of the moon have names from Greek mythology. For example, Phobos and Deimos are the sons of Ares, the Greek version of Mars. Jupiter?s moons are all named for lovers and other close associates of Zeus (Jupiter). Saturn?s moons are named for Titans, the race that included Cronos (Saturn), Zeus? father. Neptune?s moons are named for mythological characters associated with water, and Charon was the ferryman of the dead who brought people to Pluto?s realm. By tradition, the discoverer of a moon gets to name it (now subject to approval by the International Astronomical Union). The son of the discoverer of the first two moons of Uranus (Sir William Herschel) decided to name Uranus? moons not for mythological characters, but instead for the king and queen of fairies in Shakespear?s A Midsummer Night?s Dream . This began a tradition whereby all uranian satellites are named for fairy characters in English drama. To read more about the names of the planets and their satellites, go to the U.S. Geological Survey?s nomenclature guide at http://wwwflag.wr.u…. *Earth* Moon *Mars * Phobos, Deimos *Jupiter* Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, Sinope *Saturn * Pan, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Calypso, Telesto, Dione, Helene, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe *Uranus * Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Puck, Miranda,
description
All the planetary moons in our solar system are shown here at their correct relative size and true color. Their diversity of size and appearance is testament to the unique and fascinating geologic history that each of these bodies has undergone. Two of the moons are larger than the planet Mercury, and eight of them are larger than Pluto. Earth's Moon is the fifth largest of the set, with a diameter of 3476 kilometers (2160 miles). Most of the moons are thought to have formed from a disk of debris left over from formation of the planet they orbit. However Triton, Neptune's largest moon, and several of the smallest moons, including the moons of Mars, are thought to be captured planetesimals that formed elsewhere in the solar system. Earth's Moon is thought to have formed from the debris ejected from a roughly Mars-sized object colliding with the early Earth, perhaps a unique event in the history of the solar system. The moons are organized on the diagram by the planet they orbit (top to bottom with increasing distance from the Sun) and their position relative to the planet (left to right with increasing distance from the planet). Below is a listing of the names of all the moons and the planets they orbit. Most moons are named for mythological characters associated with the character the planet is named for. While most of the planets are named for Roman characters (with the exceptions of Pluto and Uranus), most of the moon have names from Greek mythology. For example, Phobos and Deimos are the sons of Ares, the Greek version of Mars. Jupiter?s moons are all named for lovers and other close associates of Zeus (Jupiter). Saturn?s moons are named for Titans, the race that included Cronos (Saturn), Zeus? father. Neptune?s moons are named for mythological characters associated with water, and Charon was the ferryman of the dead who brought people to Pluto?s realm. By tradition, the discoverer of a moon gets to name it (now subject to approval by the International Astronomical Union). The son of the discoverer of the first two moons of Uranus (Sir William Herschel) decided to name Uranus? moons not for mythological characters, but instead for the king and queen of fairies in Shakespear?s A Midsummer Night?s Dream . This began a tradition whereby all uranian satellites are named for fairy characters in English drama. To read more about the names of the planets and their satellites, go to the U.S. Geological Survey?s nomenclature guide at http://wwwflag.wr.u…. *Earth* Moon *Mars * Phobos, Deimos *Jupiter* Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Leda, Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, Sinope *Saturn * Pan, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Epimetheus, Janus, Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Calypso, Telesto, Dione, Helene, Rhea, Titan, Hyperion, Iapetus, Phoebe *Uranus * Cordelia, Ophelia, Bianca, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Portia, Rosalind, Belinda, Puck, Miranda, description
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description:
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Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon
*Neptune*
Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Triton, Nereid
*Pluto *
Charon
*Image Credit*: Image processing by Tim Parker (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Paul Schenk and Robert Herrick (Lunar and Planetary Institute), based on NASA images.
description
Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon
*Neptune*
Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Proteus, Triton, Nereid
*Pluto *
Charon
*Image Credit*: Image processing by Tim Parker (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Paul Schenk and Robert Herrick (Lunar and Planetary Institute), based on NASA images.
description
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keywords:
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Solar System Exploration
keywords
Solar System Exploration
keywords
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keywords:
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SSE
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keywords:
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Space
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keywords:
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NASA
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keywords:
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
keywords
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
keywords
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keywords:
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JPL
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keywords:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
keywords
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
keywords
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keywords:
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Planets
keywords
Planets
keywords
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facet_what:
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Mars
facet_what
Mars
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Earth
facet_what
Earth
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mercury
facet_what
Mercury
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Moon
facet_what
Moon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Saturn
facet_what
Saturn
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Sun
facet_what
Sun
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Neptune
facet_what
Neptune
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Jupiter
facet_what
Jupiter
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Pluto
facet_what
Pluto
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Charon
facet_what
Charon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Uranus
facet_what
Uranus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Ariel
facet_what
Ariel
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Miranda
facet_what
Miranda
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Io
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facet_what:
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Titan
facet_what
Titan
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Atlas
facet_what
Atlas
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Rhea
facet_what
Rhea
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Callisto
facet_what
Callisto
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Dione
facet_what
Dione
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Enceladus
facet_what
Enceladus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Europa
facet_what
Europa
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Ganymede
facet_what
Ganymede
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Iapetus
facet_what
Iapetus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Mimas
facet_what
Mimas
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Oberon
facet_what
Oberon
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Proteus
facet_what
Proteus
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Tethys
facet_what
Tethys
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Titania
facet_what
Titania
facet_what
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facet_what:
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Umbriel
facet_what
Umbriel
facet_what
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Mars
facet_where
Mars
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Mercury
facet_where
Mercury
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Saturn
facet_where
Saturn
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jupiter
facet_where
Jupiter
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Pluto
facet_where
Pluto
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Charon
facet_where
Charon
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Uranus
facet_where
Uranus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Ariel
facet_where
Ariel
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Miranda
facet_where
Miranda
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Rhea
facet_where
Rhea
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Callisto
facet_where
Callisto
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Dione
facet_where
Dione
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Enceladus
facet_where
Enceladus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Europa
facet_where
Europa
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Ganymede
facet_where
Ganymede
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Oberon
facet_where
Oberon
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Proteus
facet_where
Proteus
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Tethys
facet_where
Tethys
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Titania
facet_where
Titania
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Triton
facet_where
Triton
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Umbriel
facet_where
Umbriel
facet_where
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facet_where:
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Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_where
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facet_when:
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3476
facet_when
3476
facet_when
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facet_when_year:
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3476
facet_when_year
3476
facet_when_year
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UID:
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SPD-SLRSY-181
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original url:
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original_url
original url
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