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<a href="http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-satelnat.html" title="Facts and informations about natural satellite">natural satellite</a>

natural satellite

natural satellite celestial body orbiting a planet, dwarf planet, asteroid, or star of a larger size. The most familiar natural satellite is the earth's moon ; thus, satellites of other planets are often referred to as moons. Within the solar system the earth's moon is the largest satellite in relation to its planet and Charon is even larger relative to the dwarf planet Pluto, although neither is the largest in actual size. The largest natural satellite, Jupiter's Ganymede, is 3,268 mi (5,262 km) in diameter, and it and Saturn's Titan are both larger than the planet Mercury. In comparison, some satellites are quite small, e.g., Deimos, the outer satellite of Mars, is c.4 mi (6 km) in diameter. Neither of the inferior planets, Mercury or Venus, has a known satellite; all of the superior planets (those whose orbits lie beyond the orbit of the earth) have at least two known satellites ( Mars , 2; Jupiter , 63; Saturn , 48; Uranus , 27; Neptune , 13). A number of satellites, e.g., Phoebe of Saturn, Triton of Neptune, and most of the small outer moons of Jupiter and Uranus, have retrograde motion and may be asteroids that were captured by the planet's gravitation. The asteroid Ida has a tiny moon, Dactyl, that is about a mile (1.6 km) in diameter and orbits about 60 mi (97 km) above Ida's surface.

Related newspaper, magazine, and trade journal articles from HighBeam Research

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	Bye-bye Pluto!(WR NEWS) Magazine article from: Weekly Reader, Edition 2 (including Science Spin); 12/8/2006; 117 words ; ...orbit crossed Neptune's path, so scientists named Pluto a dwarf planet. That is the name they gave to a new group of small objects...last unvisited planet. Now it may become the first visited dwarf planet. The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive in 2015. What might... Read more
	Know the news.(READING COMPREHENSION/VOCABULARY) Magazine article from: WR News, Edition 3 (including Science Spin); 10/6/2006; 141 words ; ...statements is most likely true? (A) Earth will soon be renamed a dwarf planet. (B) Many science textbooks will need to be rewritten. (C...Is Out! ? (A) A spacecraft is on its way to Pluto, now a dwarf planet. (B) Pluto is one of many objects located in the Kuiper belt... Read more
	Pluto stripped of name!(Live Wire: from the newsroom to your classroom)(scientists have decided that Pluto will now be called Plutoid)(Brief article) Magazine article from: Kidsworld Magazine; 9/22/2008; 119 words ; ...planet. Plutoid means Pluto-Like and will be applied to any dwarf planet that orbits the sun at a greater distance than Neptune. In...planet recently classified as a Plutoid was Eris, a small dwarf planet that also orbits the Sun beyond Neptune. So now it's official... Read more
	WR news word work! Magazine article from: Weekly Reader, Edition 2 (including Science Spin); 12/8/2006; 81 words ; ...that is almost planet * * to move in a path around something dwarf planet * * a scientist who studies the universe beyond Earth orbit...planet--an object that is almost round and orbits the sun; dwarf planet---one of a new group of small, planet-like space objects... Read more
	11 Planets.(11 Planets: A New View of the Solar System)(Brief article)(Children's review)(Book review) Magazine article from: Children's Bookwatch; 5/1/2008; 154 words ; ...body Pluto no longer qualifies as a planet, but is rather a dwarf planet , and at least two more celestial bodies in our solar system...filled with fun facts about the eight planets, Pluto the dwarf planet, various planetary moons, Ceres and the asteroid belt, the... Read more
	Editorial cartoon.(Cartoon) Magazine article from: WR News, Senior Edition (including Science Spin); 10/6/2006; 70 words ; ...or gives human characteristics to, Pluto. The cartoon shows us how Pluto might feel about being recently classified as a dwarf planet. Do you think the cartoonist feels the recent changes in the solar system are fair? Why or why not? How would you summarize... Read more
	The race to sell the moon. (Private Space Voyages).(Brief Article) Magazine article from: Reason; 12/1/2002; ; 261 words ; ...will soon be deluged with mechanical visitors from Earth. Both Europe and Japan intend to send spacecraft to our largest natural satellite next year, and China is rumored to be preparing a moonshot as well. And in June 2003 a California company, TransOrbital... Read more
	Different worlds.(data analysis) Magazine article from: WR News, Edition 4 (including Science Spin); 10/6/2006; 198 words ; Pluto was recently demoted from planet to dwarf planet. Study the chart comparing Earth with Pluto, Use the information...miles, 6,496 miles, Think Critically: The farther a planet or dwarf planet is from the sun, the colder its surface is. Read more
	Beyond the Space Age. Magazine article from: Designfax; 12/1/1999; ; 370 words ; ...from a different perspective...to view the ecosystem from space and watch our 8,000-mile-diameter planet--with its one natural satellite, all 92 million miles from the sun--spinning through the stars amidst the infinite wonder of the universe. Soon the ordinary... Read more
	Pluto Deposed.(Poem) Magazine article from: Quadrant; 5/1/2008; ; 88 words ; ...Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pies? Their trust has been betrayed. Order disrupted, no wonder brother Neptune, next in line, is restless in his orbit. Dwarf planet then, you say, attempting to placate me. I reject your condescension. Read more

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