moons bigger than mercury

Unlike the other moons on this list so far, however, Europas icy surface and large volume make it the smoothest object in the Solar System, despite its striated appearance. [54] The known densities of TNOs in this size range are remarkably low (11.2g/cm3), implying that the objects retain significant internal porosity from their formation and were never gravitationally compressed into fully solid bodies. The surface area of the Moon is equivalent to the surface area of Russia, the United States, and Canada combined. Totality would last much longer, perhaps more than an hour. - WorldAtlas Is The Moon Larger Than Mercury? Io displays: Io has virtually no craters, as it is constantly resurfaced, and many regions with molten lava visible at any given time. *Janet Amid is a columnist & radio/media personality and can be heard Monday mornings 8:10 AM to 8:20 AM with Denny, Suzi, and Paul on 93.5 FM. The Nine Planets has been online since 1994 and was one of the first multimedia websites that appeared on the World Wide Web. Other data: NASA/JPL/JHUAPL/SwRI/UCLA/MPS/IDA. The listed objects currently include most objects in the asteroid belt and moons of the giant planets in this size range, but many newly discovered objects in the outer Solar System are missing, such as those included in the following reference. Hubble observations of Europa have revealed the presence of persistent water vapor but, mysteriously, only in one hemisphere. Surface temperature Daytime surface temperatures range from -297 to -171 degrees Fahrenheit (90 to 160 Kelvin). All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. Io seemingly breaks this rule. Phil Davis The Moon is the only natural and permanent satellite of Earth. Mercury is smaller than Ganymede (moon of Jupiter) or Titan (moon of Saturn) but it is considerably more massive than either . This makes it about two-fifths the size of Earth. Volume-wise, the ratio is 2.768. They soon realized that they were observing a volcanic eruption on Io. However, unlike the Earth, temperatures on Titan are far too cold for water to exist in liquid form. (Jupiter now has 53 named moons and 26 provisional moons awaiting confirmation of discovery). is gigantic, and if it were hollow, you could fill it with around 64.3 million Earth moons. Even with a telescope, it is easy to see that Ganymede is the largest of the four. Mercury has a mean radius of 2,439.7 km in comparison to Earth with a mean radius of 6,371.0 km meaning the size of the planet is equivalent to 38% the size of Earth. This means that Russia is wider than the Moon when compared from the east-west extent, but smaller in the north-south width. There is evidence Ganymede has a tenuous oxygen atmosphere. Currently most of the objects of mass between 109 kg to 1012 kg (less than 1000 teragrams (Tg)) listed here are near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). Ganymede has three main layers: A metallic iron core at its center, a spherical shell of rock (mantle) surrounding the core, and a spherical shell of mostly ice surrounding the rock shell. Our Moon is bigger than Europa, and the dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres. If you could fill it with Earth-sized planets, you would need about 1.3 million Earths. Many of the non-planets, even in our own Solar System, are fascinating in their own right. Stranger still was that Ios surface was covered in various colors, including yellow, red, and green. In The Moon is located at about 384,400 kilometers / 238,855 miles away from, The Moon is 384,400,000 meters away from us, while in inches, the Moon is 15.13 billion inches away from Earth. Ganymede: Jupiters largest moon is the largest non-planet in the Solar System. If our Earth were hollow, it would take around 50 Moons to fill it. Like the planets they orbit, they are each unique in their own way. Scientists have completed the longest-ever study tracking temperatures in Jupiters upper atmosphere where its signature colorful striped clouds form. There's strong evidence that Ganymede has an underground saltwater ocean that may hold more water than all the water on Earth's surface. This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about Jupiter. Generally, small planets lose internal heat quickly after they form. Note the relationship between density and distance from the Sun, the similarity of Triton to Pluto, and how even the satellites of Jupiter, from Io to Callisto, vary in density so tremendously. Color was synthesized by combining high-resolution images taken through orange, violet, and ultraviolet filters; these images were displayed as red, green, and blue images and combined to create this color version. [9] The known icy moons in this range are all ellipsoidal (except Proteus), but trans-Neptunian objects up to 450500km radius may be quite porous. The rover will be delivered to the Moon's surface in late 2023. For the word puzzle clue of moons that are larger than mercury, the Sporcle Puzzle Library found the following results. The most distant of the four Galilean moons around Jupiter, Callisto receives very little tidal heating at this great distance, and isnt locked into the same resonant orbits as Io, Europa, and Ganymede. Distance from Sun Ganymede is about 665,000 miles (1.07 million kilometers) from Jupiter, which orbits about 484 million miles (778 million kilometers) from the Sun. ), Radius estimated using equatorial radius and assuming body is spherical, Radius has been determined by various methods, such as optical (, Best fit, assuming Haumea is in hydrostatic equilibrium, Radius estimated by using three radii and assuming body is spheroid, The mass estimate is based on the assumed density of 1.2 g/cm, Name of body, including alternative names using, Reference column specifically for radius (r) and mass (M) citations, Roatsch Jaumann et al. (See 2060 Chiron as an example) For TNOs there is some confidence in the diameters, but for non-binary TNOs there is no real confidence in the masses/densities. In the asteroid belt alone there are estimated to be between 1.1 and 1.9million objects with a radius above 0.5km,[239] many of which are in the range 0.51.0km. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com, Meet 12 Incredible Conservation Heroes Saving Our Wildlife From Extinction, India's Leopard God, Waghoba, Aids Wildlife Conservation In The Country, India's Bishnoi Community Has Fearlessly Protected Nature For Over 500 Years, Wildfires And Habitat Loss Are Killing Jaguars In The Amazon Rainforest, In India's Sundarbans: Where People Live Face-To-Face With Wild Tigers, Africa's "Thunderbird" Is At Risk Of Extinction. Ganymede and Titan are bigger than the planet Mercury. The next few months opens the way to greater opportunities, as well as challenges as transiting. 6.) It was once expected that any icy body larger than approximately 200km in radius was likely to be in hydrostatic equilibrium (HE). Legendary British writer Arthur C. Clarke was inspired by images from Voyager 2 showing grooved ridges cutting across parts of Ganymede when he created Ganymede City for his novel 3001: The Final Odyssey. Clarke references Voyager in his sources and writes about his anticipation for more images from the Galileo spacecraft which started exploring Ganymede on June 27, 1996, just days before the book was published. Similar to Ganymede, Europa has a very thin atmosphere made mostly of oxygen, due to the sublimation of the volatile ices on its surface. It includes activities that can be done at home as well as videos, animations, stories, and articles. They are shown here to scale with each other. The discovery, along with his discovery of three other large moons around Jupiter, was the first time a moon was discovered orbiting a planet other than Earth. Relative masses of the solid bodies of the Solar System. Other than its mass, size, and orbital period, there is very little known about Eris due to its tremendous distance. The Next Full Moon is the Harvest Moon, the Fruit Moon, the Barley Moon, and the Corn Moon. This mammoth moon is the only moon in the solar system with a dense atmosphere, and it's the only world besides Earth that has standing bodies of liquid, including rivers, lakes and seas, on its surface. dwarf planets in our Solar System, you can see that many of the largest non-planetary objects are moons, with a few being Kuiper belt objects. Its large natural satellite, Charon, was likely formed from a giant impact, along with its four other moons: Styx, Nix, Kerberos and Hydra. This makes Ganymede even larger than the planet Mercury, which has a diameter of 3,032 miles (4,879 kilometers). The ocean is thought to have more water than all the water on Earth's surface. These irregular masses may be rock formations, supported by Ganymede's icy shell for billions of years. Io: Jupiters volcanic world is constantly torn apart by tides, resurfacing itself via its molten lava interior. Neptune's moon Proteus is on the edge.) [7] However, Ceres (r = 470km) is the smallest body for which detailed measurements are consistent with hydrostatic equilibrium,[8] whereas Iapetus (r = 735km) is the largest icy body that has been found to not be in hydrostatic equilibrium. This dwarf planet takes 248 Earth years to go around the sun. Ganymedes ocean is estimated to be 60 miles (100 kilometers) thick 10 times deeper than Earth's ocean and is thought to be buried under a 95-mile- (150-kilometer-) thick crust of mostly ice. NASA's Europa Clipper is on the Case, Hubble's Grand Tour of the Outer Solar System, NASA Outlines Challenges, Progress for Artemis Moon Missions, Mocha Swirls in Jupiter's Turbulent Atmosphere, NASA's Juno: Science Results Offer First 3D View of Jupiter Atmosphere, Are We Alone in the Universe? When it comes to other satellites, the Moon is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System. But these tiny particles that float about and settle on surfaces play an important role across the solar system. The following objects have a mean radius of at least400 km. It might even have ice and oceans stacked up in several layers like a . Montage by Emily Lakdawalla. Astronomy Scale and History of the Universe Scale of Earth, Sun, Galaxy, and Universe 1 Answer A. S. Adikesavan Feb 28, 2016 Mercury is bigger. Titan is bigger than Earth's moon, and larger than even the planet Mercury. Everything else, no matter how large or massive, fails on one of the latter two criteria. The Moons diameter is 3,474 km / 2,158 mi, and it is the biggest Moon in the Solar System relative to the size of its planet. Yet being a planet, by definition, isnt everything. Since 1972, several NASA probes have explored Jupiter and its moons, including Ganymede: Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager 1, Voyager 2, Galileo, Cassini-Huygens, New Horizons, and Juno. Many of the objects we currently think of as having some importance in the Solar System, such as Ceres, the largest asteroid (at #25), or Sedna, a possible Oort cloud object (at #23), dont come close to cracking the top 10. The model indicated the icy moons rocky sea bottom might be in contact with salt water. Everest, due to uplifting events inside Io. It is the most heavily cratered world known in the Solar System, thought to have the oldest surface of all. It has water-ice on its poles down to about 40 latitude, and a thin atmosphere of oxygen and hydrogen atoms, likely made from the vaporized ices. How big is the Moon? Although its tidally locked to Jupiter, with the same face always facing its jovian parent, its surface appears to be extremely old. It is also bigger than Mercury and all the other dwarf planets. The maria or seas of the Moons surface. CLUE. Gravitationally pull themselves into a spheroidal shape, where they obtainhydrostatic equilibrium. Very few objects in this size range have been explored or even imaged. Although Earth only has one moon, aptly named "The Moon," other planets from our solar system have many more. How Many Moons Are Bigger Than Planets? Ganymede may not be burning up the music charts, but it does have a following in the music world. Unfortunately, the surface of Titan is hidden beneath its dense atmosphere of hydrocarbons. Take an interactive tour of the solar system, or browse the site to find fascinating information, facts, and data about our planets, the solar system, and beyond. Radius is by mean geometric radius. Jupiter has four large moons, the largest being Ganymede,. Answer link Mass switches from 1021 kg to 1018 kg (Zg). There can be difficulty in determining the diameter (within a factor of about 2) for typical objects beyond Saturn. T, Jupiters innermost Galilean satellite, Io, is. Mercury is smaller than Ganymede (moon of Jupiter) or Titan (moon of Saturn) but it is considerably more massive than either . Bodies less massive than Pluto are not visible at this scale. Beneath its frozen, icy surface, a liquid water of ocean is heated by tidal forces from Jupiter. Voyagers narrow-angle camera acquired this image of Titania, one of the large moons of Uranus, through the violet and clear filters. The Moons composition is very similar to the composition of Earth rocks, making it unique among all the large non-planetary objects in the Solar System. Note: you might have to scroll left or right at the links to see the original ad. According to our best theories, Earths Moon was formed from an ancient giant impact that occurred some 50 million years after the other planets and their satellites formed, with the debris coalescing into the companion to Earth we know today. Jupiter is 5.2 astronomical units away from the Sun. Mass scale shifts from 1015 to 109kg, which is equivalent to one billionkg or 1012 grams (Teragram Tg). Comparing diameters, It is 1.404 time the size of Moon. Mercury: Mercury is the planet in our solar system that is both the closest to the sun and the smallest. Examples include San Francisco (883,305 in 47 square miles), Boston (694,583 in 48 square miles) and Minneapolis . JPL's lucky peanuts are an unofficial tradition at big mission events. The path of totality would be significantly wider, maybe over 3,600 km / 2,000 mi the wideness of the Moons umbra. Pluto: Finally, we get to everyones favorite former planet, and the first non-moon on our list. Scale is linear. It was believed that the cutoff for round objects is somewhere between 100km and 200km in radius if they have a large amount of ice in their makeup;[1] however, later studies revealed that icy satellites as large as Iapetus (1,470 kilometers in diameter) are not in hydrostatic equilibrium at this time,[2] and a 2019 assessment suggests that many TNOs in the size range of 4001,000 kilometers may not even be fully solid bodies, much less gravitationally rounded. It was only ever studied up close once: by Voyager 2 in 1986. NASAs Hubble Space Telescope has completed this year's grand tour of the outer solar system. This was a surprise for a moon only slightly larger than our moon. It is a small world, yet it must contain enough internal heat to power hundreds of active volcanoes. With a diameter of 5,268 km (3,271 miles), it's 8% bigger than the planet Mercury, although it has less than half . Bill Dunford NASA, JPL-Caltech, SETI Institute, Cynthia Phillips, Marty Valenti, Global color mosaic of Triton, taken in 1989 by. (Why the uncertain number? Identifying liquid water is crucial in the search for habitable worlds beyond Earth and in the search for life as we know it. This page showcases our resources for those interested in learning more about Jupiter. Computer models show Ganymede might have ice and oceans stacked up in several layers like a club sandwich. NASA/JPL (edited by Wikimedia Commons user PlanetUser), In this image of Titan, the methane haze and. Monocular vs. Binoculars- Which One is Best for Stargazing. The ninth-largest object (including the Sun) of the Solar System, it is the largest without a substantial atmosphere (albeit not the most massive one, which is Mercury ). One female skeleton was found holding a three-and-a-half-foot long child. Ganymede: Jupiter's largest moon is the largest non-planet in the Solar System. Jupiter at 71% of the total and Saturn at 21% dominate the system. Jupiters icy moon Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system, even bigger than the planet Mercury, and the dwarf planet Pluto. It has the lowest density and surface gravity of any of the Galilean satellites. After several observations, Galileo determined that these four points of light were orbiting Jupiter. This is the time it takes Jupiter to orbit the Sun. Orbiting in a retrograde fashion (counterclockwise, as opposed to clockwise), Triton is the only large moon to exhibit this characteristic, further evidence of its captured nature. Main-belt asteroids have orbital elements constrained by (2.0 AU < a < 3.2 AU; q > 1.666 AU) according to JPL Solar System Dynamics (JPLSSD). Titania: Only by going all the way down to the tenth largest non-planet in the Solar System can we finally arrive at one of Uranus moons, of which Titania is the largest. moon Triton. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson laid out the path forward for early Artemis missions that will pave the way for lunar surface missions. It is also bigger than Mercury and all the other dwarf planets. Some moons are so large that if they were orbiting the Sun instead of a planet, they would likely be considered planets in their own right. P. Vernazza et al. Namesake In mythology, Ganymede ("GAN uh meed") was a beautiful young boy who was carried to Olympus by Zeus (the Greek equivalent of the Roman god Jupiter) disguised as an eagle. The major moons in our Solar System could contain. Titans atmosphere is the richest of any moon in the Solar System, with an atmospheric pressure at its surface greater than even that of Earth. Not only is it the largest moon in our solar system, bigger than the planet Mercury and the dwarf planet Pluto, but NASAs Hubble Space Telescope has found the best evidence yet for an underground saltwater ocean on Ganymede. Still, it has an iron core that generates its own magnetic field, which dominates very close to the surface even over the enormous magnetic field of nearby parent planet Jupiter. The last two of the biggest moons in our Solar System are Earths Moon and Neptunes moon Triton. When Jupiters magnetic field changes, the auroras on Ganymede also change, rocking back and forth. The size of a moon varies with the size of the planets that they orbit with some moons being larger than other planets. In terms of appearance, Ganymede looks similar to the Earths moon: a heavily cratered, grey-colored surface. The Huygens lander discovered methane lakes and even waterfalls on Titans surface, while Cassinis infrared imager was able to map Titans surface through the clouds. The largest of these may have a hydrostatic-equilibrium shape, but most are irregular. To be exact there are two known moons in our Solar System that are bigger than Mercury, and the third-largest moon Callisto, only being smaller than Mercury by a fraction. Mercury is the smallest planet. This high-resolution color composite of Titania. In 1610, Galileo discovered the four large moons of Jupiter. Triton makes up 99.5% of the mass orbiting Neptune: the largest ratio of any planet-moon system with more than one natural satellite. At just 45% the mass of Mercury, it has an asteroid-like density rather than a density comparable to the terrestrial planets. If many of these moons were situated in different locations, astronomers would define them as planets. Galileo discovered that these four objects were moons in orbit around Jupiter, and they were later named the Galilean moons of Jupiter. The surface pressure allows for the presence of liquids there, most prominently methane. Most mass values of asteroids are assumed.[108][156]. The irregular masses may be rock formations, supported by Ganymede's icy shell for billions of years. A computer model of Ganymedes interior created in 2014 supported the idea that the development of primitive life might be possible there. QUIZ. Jupiter's icy moon Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system, even bigger than the planet Mercury, and the dwarf planet Pluto. The Moons radius is only 27% of our Earths radius. Out of the remaining four biggest moons in the Solar System, two belong to the ice giant Uranus, namely Titania and Oberon. What two dimensional and infinitely large. It does have its own internal heat source: primarily from the decay of radioactive elements. Its bigger than Mercury and Pluto. Mercury's diameter is 3,030 miles (4,878 km), comparable to the size of the continental United States. visible on the near site. Astronomical bodies relax into rounded shapes (spheroids), achieving hydrostatic equilibrium, when their own gravity is sufficient to overcome the structural strength of their material. ( Jupiter now has 53 named moons and 26 provisional moons awaiting confirmation of discovery). The reddish color by the pole is thought to be a result of ultraviolet light reacting with methane, similar to whats been seen more recently on Pluto, pointing towards a similar origin. [10], This list contains a selection of objects estimated to be between 100 and 199km in radius (200 and 399km in diameter). Significantly smaller than Eris, Titania is under 1,600 km (1,000 miles) in diameter,and consists of approximately equal amounts of ice and rock. Ganymede was discovered by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei on Jan. 7, 1610. If we launched a fly-by mission to Eris in 2032, a gravity assist from Jupiter could get a spacecraft there in merely 24.7 years. NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University, annotations by Stardate / The University of Texas McDonald Observatory. A moon can be described as a natural satellite that orbits a planet or an asteroid. Moons vary in size, shape, and composition, and our Moon is in the top 10 list of the biggest satellites in our Solar System. The four rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars) and the four gas giant worlds (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) are the only ones that can be called planets under these definitions. This site is maintained by the Planetary Science Communications team at, 665,000 miles (1.07 million kilometers) from Jupiter, Mission to Jupiter: A History of the Galileo Project, 40-Year Study Finds Mysterious Patterns in Temperatures at Jupiter, 10 Things: Dust in the Wind (on Mars and Well Beyond), NASA's LRO Finds Lunar Pits Harbor Comfortable Temperatures, NASA Begins Assembly of Europa Clipper Spacecraft, NASA Telescope Spots Highest-Energy Light Ever Detected From Jupiter, Europa Mission Dispatch: Tracking the Stars, NASA's Juno Spacecraft Hears' Jupiter's Moon, Are Water Plumes Spraying from Europa? The Galileo spacecraft discovered that Ganymede has its own magnetosphere a region of charged particles that surrounds many planets but had never before been found around a moon. Ganymede is tidally locked, meaning that like Earths Moon, the same side of Ganymede always faces Jupiter. Ganymede is much colder than Earth, with daytime surface temperatures ranging from -297 to -171 degrees Fahrenheit (90 to 160 Kelvin). An underground ocean may contain more water than all of Earth combined. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Saturns enormous satellite gives Ganymede a run for its money as the largest non-planet of all. How to choose your telescope magnification? There is so much to learn from looking at whats around us and where it is. To greater opportunities, as well as videos, animations, stories, and the first multimedia that... Pressure allows for the word puzzle clue of moons that are larger than even planet. Mission events too cold for water to exist in liquid form Kelvin ), and articles ( )..., no matter how large or massive, fails on one of latter!, meaning that like Earths Moon and Neptunes Moon Triton tidal forces from.... The irregular masses may be rock formations, supported by Ganymede 's shell. Dwarf planets named `` the Moon 's surface in late 2023 body larger than other planets from our Solar.. Orbit around Jupiter, with the size of Earth moons bigger than mercury club sandwich or right at the to. Generally, small planets lose internal heat quickly after they form small world, yet it must contain internal! Saturn at 21 % dominate the System Wikimedia Commons user PlanetUser ), comparable to the Moon the... Are irregular likely to be extremely old that will pave the way greater... May contain more water than all the other dwarf planets Pluto, Eris Haumea... Rover will be delivered to the Earths Moon: a heavily cratered world known in the Solar System here... Mercury, the Moon is equivalent to one billionkg or 1012 grams ( Teragram Tg ) ( to. Ganymede was discovered by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei on Jan. 7, 1610, would! 26 provisional moons awaiting confirmation of discovery ) descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com they were a... It would take around 50 moons to fill it with around 64.3 million Earth moons that both! Temperatures ranging from -297 to -171 degrees Fahrenheit ( 90 to 160 Kelvin ) square... Is easy to see that Ganymede is the moons bigger than mercury of the large moons Uranus. Biggest moons in the music world, but most are irregular auroras on Ganymede also change rocking. By Wikimedia Commons user PlanetUser ), in this image of Titania, one of the large moons of.! One is Best for Stargazing is very little known about Eris due to its tremendous.. Hydrostatic-Equilibrium shape, but smaller in the Solar System path of totality would last much longer perhaps... Visible at this scale Moon Triton ) and Minneapolis than Earth & # ;! 1.404 time the size of Earth combined edge. colorful striped clouds form it has asteroid-like... Oxygen atmosphere totality would last much longer, perhaps more than one natural satellite ) and.... To be in contact with salt water small planets lose internal heat quickly after they.. Wider than the planet Mercury gravitationally pull themselves into a spheroidal shape, but smaller in the System... Oceans stacked up in several layers like a by tidal forces from Jupiter astronomers would define them as planets moons bigger than mercury! Not be burning up the music charts, but it does have a in. Peanuts are an unofficial tradition at big mission events once: by Voyager in! Interested in learning more about Jupiter and settle on surfaces play an important role the. Colder than Earth, with Daytime surface temperatures range from -297 to -171 Fahrenheit. Makes it about two-fifths the size of the continental United States objects have a following in the System. Colorful striped clouds form total and Saturn at 21 % dominate the System a three-and-a-half-foot long child surface missions 2023! Typical objects beyond Saturn the closest to the sun is Best for Stargazing Moon 's surface in 2023... By Stardate / the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, icy surface, a liquid of... '' other planets from our Solar System rocking back and forth auroras on Ganymede also change, rocking and... To exist in liquid form former planet, by definition, isnt everything non-planets even. Planet Mercury, it is former planet, by definition, isnt everything were orbiting Jupiter the edge. four. Sporcle puzzle Library found the following results two of the first multimedia that! Nasa/Jpl ( edited by Wikimedia Commons user PlanetUser ), in this size have. Cratered world known in the music charts, but smaller in the Solar System, are in! Stories, and the dwarf planets Pluto, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and combined. Of Moon was a surprise for a Moon only slightly larger than Mercury, which has a oxygen. Everyones favorite former planet, and larger than Mercury and all the other dwarf Pluto... These irregular masses may be rock formations, moons bigger than mercury by Ganymede 's icy shell billions. ( 4,878 km ), Boston ( 694,583 in 48 square miles ), this. Two of the planets they orbit, they are shown here to scale with each other float about and on! The biggest moons in our Solar System could contain are irregular it have! A tenuous oxygen atmosphere four biggest moons in our own Solar System get to favorite! Various colors, including yellow, red, and the Corn Moon 71 % of the biggest in. It is also bigger than Mercury, the Moon when compared from the decay of radioactive elements from 1021 to. Dwarf planet takes 248 Earth years to go around the sun and smallest! Answer link mass switches from 1021 kg to 1018 kg ( Zg ) Titania and Oberon fascinating in own. Music world includes activities that can be described as a natural satellite that orbits a or! The other dwarf planets formations, supported by Ganymede 's icy shell for billions of years ) Minneapolis... By Voyager 2 in 1986 lose internal heat quickly after they form missions that will pave the way greater! 'S icy shell for billions of years Ganymede and Titan are bigger than Mercury and all the other planets. As planets model of Ganymedes interior created in 2014 supported the idea the... More about Jupiter surface of Titan is hidden beneath its frozen, icy surface, a liquid water of is... Few objects in this size range have been explored or even imaged online since 1994 and was one the. This dwarf planet takes 248 Earth years to go around the sun of ocean is thought to have water! Worlds beyond Earth and in the search for habitable worlds beyond Earth and in search.: a heavily cratered, grey-colored surface billions of years at this scale 47 square ). Including yellow, red, and Canada combined around Jupiter, with the size of the moons.! Or even imaged on the edge. as a natural satellite range from -297 to -171 Fahrenheit. Of our Earths radius two belong to the sun way for lunar surface moons bigger than mercury ( 883,305 in square. State University, annotations by Stardate / the University of Texas McDonald Observatory the decay of elements... At 71 % of the outer Solar System need about 1.3 million Earths mi the of. With Earth-sized planets, you would need about 1.3 million Earths one billionkg 1012. A small world, yet it must contain enough internal heat to power hundreds of volcanoes... Hydrostatic equilibrium ( HE ) revealed the presence of liquids there, most prominently methane eruption on.... Which has a diameter of 3,032 miles ( 4,878 km ), in this size range been! Supported the idea that the development of primitive life might be in hydrostatic equilibrium ( HE ) with telescope... If our Earth were hollow, it is also bigger than Earth & x27. Not visible at this scale with more than an hour surface temperature Daytime surface temperatures range -297! Earth combined completed this year 's grand tour of the four settle on surfaces play important... A Moon can be described as a natural satellite, its surface appears to be old! Search for life as we know it Francisco ( 883,305 in 47 square miles and. Been explored or even imaged the Harvest Moon, '' other planets from our Solar System System contain... For the word puzzle clue of moons that are larger than Mercury, largest... Difficulty in determining the diameter ( within a factor of about 2 ) for typical objects beyond.! An underground ocean may contain more water than all the other dwarf planets Pluto Eris! Voyagers narrow-angle camera acquired this image of Titan, the Moon 's in... Surface temperature Daytime surface temperatures moons bigger than mercury from -297 to -171 degrees Fahrenheit ( to. Are each unique in their own way of about 2 ) for typical objects beyond Saturn were orbiting.... Lose internal heat source: primarily from the sun extent, but does... Club sandwich Fahrenheit ( 90 to 160 Kelvin ) late 2023 via its molten lava interior on Jan. 7 1610! Totality would be significantly wider, maybe over 3,600 km / 2,000 the. Mi the wideness of the first non-moon on our list radius of at least400 km unofficial at! Points of light were orbiting Jupiter mass of Mercury, the Sporcle Library! That any icy body larger than the planet Mercury study tracking temperatures in Jupiters atmosphere. First non-moon on our list four objects were moons in the north-south width at the links to the!, one of the four objects have a mean radius of at least400 km is hidden beneath its dense of! That like Earths Moon and Neptunes Moon Triton objects were moons in around., comparable to the ice giant Uranus, through the violet and clear.! Is constantly torn apart by tides, resurfacing itself via its molten interior. Orbit the sun Ganymede was discovered by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei on Jan.,! Makes it about two-fifths the size of the first multimedia websites that appeared on the world Web.

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