Table of Contents
Is it possible for a planet to have a gaseous moon?
The main reason we don’t get gas moons is that they are simply not big enough. A gas moon, in the style of a gas planet could not exist. The closest you could possibly get would be a binary planet system, where roughly similar size gas planets orbited each other.
Can a moon be a gas giant?
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Astronomers have pinpointed what appears to be the first moon detected outside our solar system, a large gaseous world the size of Neptune that is unlike any other known moon and orbits a gas planet much more massive than Jupiter.
Can a habitable moon orbit a gas giant?
Both gas giant and the habitable moon must maintain a stable orbit. Simulations would suggest that to maintain a stable orbit to a gas giant, or a brown dwarf that orbits 1 AU from a sun-like star, would require a moon orbital period of less than 45–60 days.
What if Earth was a moon of a gas giant?
If stable gas giants are more likely to orbit further out from their star, then the earth-size moon would be frozen on the surface; even if kept warm inside by tidal forces, radioactivity, and original hot material.
Is the sun made of gas?
The sun is made up of a blazing combination of gases. These gases are actually in the form of plasma. About three quarters of the sun is hydrogen, which is constantly fusing together and creating helium by a process called nuclear fusion. Helium makes up almost the entire remaining quarter.
How many Exomoons have been discovered?
Bottom line: Astronomers examining data from the Kepler Space Telescope appear to have discovered six more exomoons.
Is the sun lava?
The sun is a big ball of gas and plasma. Most of the gas — 92\% — is hydrogen. It is converted into energy in the sun’s core. The energy moves outward through the interior layers, into the sun’s atmosphere, and is released into the solar system as heat and light.
What is the mass of a moon with a gas giant?
So according to the examples of gas giant planets in our solar system, a moon with the mass of the Earth could orbit around a gas giant planet with a mass of 4,229.28 or 4,776.3231 times the mass of Earth, which would be 13.307992 or 15.029336 times the mass of Jupiter.
Can moons be as big as planets?
Still, some moons are as large as planets. For instance, Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon, is larger than Mercury, and three-quarters the diameter of Mars. Also, moons at times are nearly as large as their worlds; Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, is about half the diameter of the dwarf planet itself.
Do two Earth-size planets orbit around distant stars?
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Two Earth-size planets that orbit each other might exist around distant stars, researchers say. The solar system has many examples of moons orbiting planets; Jupiter and Saturn both possess more than 60 satellites.
What are some examples of binary Earth-size planets?
Binary Earth-Size Planets Possible Around Distant Stars. For instance, Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon, is larger than Mercury, and three-quarters the diameter of Mars. Also, moons at times are nearly as large as their worlds; Pluto’s largest moon, Charon, is about half the diameter of the dwarf planet itself.