Planets and their Moons

Our solar system comprises the following 8 planets:

Mercury

Venus

Earth 

Mars 

Jupiter

Saturn 

Uranus

Neptune

It also includes dwarf planets like Pluto, dozens of moons, and millions of asteroids, comets, and meteoroids.

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The term “Planet,” is an ancient word with ties to science, history, astrology, mythology, and religion.  It is a celestial body that orbits the Sun and it carries enough mass to be circled by its own gravity, where each planet has a varying number of moons and natural satellites.

On this page, we will discuss planets and their moons in our solar system, and planets and their satellites in detail.

Moons of Planets in Solar System

Do you know the meaning of the Moons of Planets in the Solar System? If not, let’s understand it:

We all hear that planets and their natural satellites exist in the sky, among these, we have a moon. So, do you know what Moon is?

Moons are natural satellites that vary in shapes, sizes, and types. They are solid bodies, and few have atmospheres. 

Most planetary moons probably formed from the rotating discs of gas and dust, circling around planets in the early solar system.

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Do you know the Planets and Satellites of our Solar System? If not,  let’s understand the moons of different planets:

The below table comprises the Planets and their Moons:

Planets and their Moons List 

Planets and Moons

Planets of the inner solar system: Earth has one and Mars has its two small moons. 

However, in the outer solar system: the gas giants: Jupiter and Saturn, and therefore, the ice giants: Uranus and Neptune have dozens of moons.

Do You Know?

1. Property of a Moon 

A moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. At 1/4th the diameter of the Earth, a moon is the largest natural satellite within the system relative to the dimensions of its planet, and therefore the fifth largest satellite within the system overall. 

2. Moons in Asteroids

There are many moons in our system - even a couple of asteroids are found to possess small companion moons.

3. Provisional Moons

Moons that start with a letter and a year are provisional moons. However, they will be given a proper name when their discoveries are confirmed by additional observations.

Discovery of Our Solar System

For millennia, astronomers have followed points of sunshine that appeared to move among the celebs. the traditional Greeks named them planets, meaning "wanderers." 

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn were known in antiquity, and therefore the invention of the telescope added the belt, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and lots of of those worlds' moons. 

The dawn of time saw dozens of probes launched to explore our system, an adventure that continues today. just one spacecraft thus far, Voyager 1, has crossed the edge into the region. 

The discovery of Eris began a rash of the latest discoveries of dwarf planets, and eventually led to the International Astronomical Union revising the definition of a "planet." The revision changed Pluto's status from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, a choice that is still controversial – especially after the New Horizons mission found immense geological variety on the planet in 2015. 

Now, we will understand the Planet Definition:

Definition of a Planet

As per the definition of a planet given by IAU in 2006 officially, it is:

"Planets" under the present definition are some celestial bodies, like Ceres, Pallas, Juno, and Vesta (each an object within the solar asteroid belt), and Pluto (the first trans-Neptunian object discovered), that were once considered planets by the scientific community, are not any longer viewed as planets under the present definition of a planet.

Formation of Planets

Many scientists think our system formed from an enormous, rotating cloud of gas and mud referred to as the solar nebula. because the nebula collapsed due to its gravity, it spun faster and flattened into a disk. Most of the fabric was pulled toward the middle to make the sun. While, other particles within the disk collided and stuck together to make asteroid-sized objects named planetesimals, a number of which combined to become the asteroids, comets, moons, and planets.

Fun Facts:

• Our solar system carries inner rocky planets, which are Mercury, Earth, and Mars. 

• Apart from the Earth itself, five planets within the system are visible to the eye. These were regarded by many early cultures as divine/ as emissaries of deities. Because of the knowledge base advancement, human perception of the planets changed, incorporating a spread of disparate objects.

• Astronomers are now trying to find another planet in our system, a true ninth planet, after evidence of its existence was unveiled on Jan. 20, 2016. 

• The reputed "Planet-Nine," as scientists are calling it, is assumed to be about 10 times the mass of Earth and 5,000 times the mass of Pluto.