Natural satellite

Some things in space orbit a planet.

We call these things moons. They follow a planet as it moves. Our Moon is one of them.

There are many moons in space. Some are very big. Others are very small. Some moons are even shaped like eggs.

Most moons stay close to their planet. They follow a steady path. This path is called an orbit.

Some moons are very active. They can have volcanoes. Some even have oceans under the ice.

Space is full of these amazing moons.

A natural satellite is an object that orbits a planet.

Most people call these objects moons. This name comes from our own Moon.

There are many moons in our Solar System. There are 434 moons with known orbits. Some moons orbit dwarf planets too. Seven dwarf planets have moons.

Moons come in different shapes. Some are round like a ball. Others look like eggs. This happens because of tidal forces. These forces come from the planet's pull. Most big moons are tidally locked. This means the same side always faces the planet.

Some moons are very busy. Io is a moon with many volcanoes. It is the most active body in the Solar System. Other moons like Europa have oceans under ice.

These oceans are hidden under a thick layer of frozen water. Some moons even have thin air around them. We call this an atmosphere. Space is full of these different worlds.

A natural satellite is a space object that orbits a planet or a dwarf planet.

Most people call these objects moons. This name comes from our own Moon. There are 434 moons in our Solar System with confirmed orbits. Seven dwarf planets, like Pluto and Eris, also have moons. Even small asteroids can have moons, which some call moonlets.

Some objects are so close to each other they are called double planets.

Moons form in different ways. Many moons form from the same material that made their planet. These are called regular satellites. They usually have circular orbits. Other moons are irregular satellites. These are often asteroids that were captured by a planet's gravity. Some moons, like our Moon, may have formed from a huge collision. This happened when two large objects crashed long ago. The leftover material then gathered together to make a moon.

People have studied moons for a very long time. For a long time, people thought the Moon was a planet. In 1543, Copernicus changed how we thought about space. In 1610, Galileo saw the moons of Jupiter. He first called them planets. Later, Johannes Kepler used the word satellite. He got the word from a Latin term meaning "companion." This was because satellites travel along with their planets. In 1957, humans launched the Sputnik satellite. This made the word "satellite" used for man-made objects too.

Moons have very different shapes and sizes. Some are round like a ball. Others look like eggs because of tidal forces. These forces come from the pull of the planet. This pull can make a moon rotate slowly. This is called being tidally locked. When this happens, the same side always faces the planet. For example, the Moon always shows us the same face. Some moons, like Saturn's Hyperion, rotate in a messy way instead.

Some moons are very active and exciting. Io is the most volcanic body in our Solar System. Other moons like Europa and Enceladus have oceans of liquid water under ice. Some moons even have atmospheres, which is a layer of gas around them. Titan and Triton are two moons that have thick atmospheres. Even though they look like quiet rocks, many moons are constantly changing. They might have volcanoes, geysers, or shifting ground.

A natural satellite is an astronomical body that orbits a planet, a dwarf planet, or a small Solar System body. Most people simply call these objects moons, a name derived from Earth's own Moon. In our Solar System, there are 434 natural satellites with confirmed orbits. This total includes moons orbiting seven dwarf planets, such as Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris. As of February 2026, there are 630 other minor planets known to have their own natural satellites.

Historically, our understanding of these objects has changed significantly. For a long time, the Moon was actually considered a planet. This changed after Copernicus introduced his work in 1543. In 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered the moons of Jupiter. He initially called them planets, but later astronomers sought a different term. Johannes Kepler was the first to use the word "satellite" in 1610. He took the term from the Latin word "satelles," which means companion or attendant. This was because satellites accompany their primary planet through space.

Natural satellites are often categorized by how they move and where they came from. Regular satellites orbit close to their planet in circular, uninclined paths. These are thought to have formed from the same material as the planet itself. In contrast, irregular satellites follow distant, tilted, or eccentric orbits. These are likely asteroids that were captured by a planet's gravity. Some large moons are even more unique. The Moon and the moons of Pluto likely formed from massive collisions between protoplanetary objects.

Many moons experience a phenomenon called tidal locking. This occurs when tidal forces from a planet cause a satellite to lose energy. This process slows the satellite's rotation until the same side always faces the planet. Most regular moons in the Solar System are tidally locked. However, some exceptions exist, such as Saturn's moon Hyperion. Hyperion rotates chaotically due to the gravitational influence of the moon Titan. Other irregular satellites, like Jupiter's Himalia, rotate much faster because they are too far away to be locked.

The physical shape of a moon is often determined by its size and gravity. Larger moons tend to be rounded into spheres or ellipsoids through hydrostatic equilibrium. This is a state where gravity pulls the body into a balanced shape. Some moons, like Saturn's Mimas, are not yet fully relaxed into a sphere. Larger moons can also become ovoid, or egg-shaped, due to tidal forces. For example, Mimas has a major axis that is 9% greater than its polar axis.

Some natural satellites are incredibly active geologically. Io is the most volcanically active body in our entire Solar System. Other moons, such as Europa, Enceladus, and Triton, show signs of tectonic activity or cryovolcanism. This activity is often powered by tidal heating. Tidal heating happens when the gravitational pull of a planet creates internal heat. This heat can support subsurface oceans of liquid water. Scientists believe Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, and Titan may all have such oceans beneath their surfaces.

While most moons orbit planets, some unusual orbital patterns exist. Trojan moons, such as Telesto and Calypso, are small companions that stay at specific points in a moon's orbit. These are located sixty degrees ahead of and behind a larger body. There are also temporary satellites. These are asteroids that briefly orbit a planet before leaving. For example, 2006 VP1 was a temporary satellite of Earth for nine months. These complex systems show how much variety exists in the mechanics of our Solar System.