The main differences between Venus and the Moon is that Venus is a terrestrial planet whilst the Moon is a natural satellite that orbits Earth, Venus has a far thicker atmosphere over the Moon’s non-existent atmosphere, Venus is the hottest and brightest planet in our solar system and is roughly 3.5 times the size of … Read more
The main differences between Mars and the Moon is that Mars is the 4th farthest planet from the Sun whilst the Moon is a natural satellite that orbits Earth, Mars is bigger with a diameter of 6,779km as opposed to the Moon’s 3,474.8km, Mars has 2 Moons orbiting whilst the Moon has no object orbiting … Read more
The main differences between the Moon and Mercury is that the moon is a natural satellite that orbits another planet whilst Mercury is a terrestrial planet that only orbits the Sun, Mercury is the bigger of the two with a diameter of 4,879km compared to the Moon’s 3,474.8km and Mercury is naturally hotter considering it … Read more
The main differences between Pluto and the Moon are that Pluto is a dwarf planet that has 5 natural satellites orbiting it whilst the Moon is Earth’s natural satellite, the Moon has practically no atmosphere whilst Pluto does, the Moon is also the bigger of the two with a diameter of 3,474.8km as opposed to … Read more
Moons are referred to as natural satellites because they naturally orbit around their respective planets Hill sphere (counterclockwise) . Artificial satellites, on the other hand, are manually placed in specific regions of space to orbit Earth, Saturn, Jupiter, etc. to deliver services, whether images, telecommunication, or weather reports for scientific and recreational use. For a … Read more
Larger planets like Saturn or Jupiter have more moons than smaller planets due to 2 main reasons. This is because of the strength of their gravitational pull (Hill sphere) and the gravitational effects their parent star has over their domain. If these 2 are harmonious larger planets will almost always have more moons as the … Read more
If you’re sole goal is simply to observe the moon, the number of telescopes fit for the job are almost endless, taking into account we can see the moons with our own eyes. Monoculars, binoculars or even your modern day smartphone will allow you to get a decent glimpse of the lunar surface. However, they … Read more
If the Moon had a submoon, then it would orbit the Moon like moons orbit planets, governed by the same gravitational and other physical laws. A submoon of the Moon could only exist sustainably in a limited region of space between the Moon and Earth, with orbit and spin determined largely by the Moon. Outside … Read more
If you’re as curious as I am, I’m sure you’ve fallen into quite the few rabbit holes looking into the nature of planets, moons in our solar system and the vast universe as a whole, occasionally asking yourself thought provoking questions such as the possible existence of plastic based planets in the universe, planets that … Read more
You’ve found yourself here because you really want to know if moons are always smaller than planets right? Well the very quick answer to this is a definitive no, moons are not always smaller however, whenever a moon orbits a planet or other objects like asteroids, they are almost always smaller than the primary planet … Read more