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Although the Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, there are a number of near-Earth objects (NEOs) with orbits that are in resonance with Earth. These have been called "second" moons of Earth or "minimoons". [2] [3] 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, an asteroid discovered on 27 April 2016, is possibly the most stable quasi-satellite of Earth. [4]
Smaller moons may (and most likely do) exist around each of these planets, but are currently undetectable from Earth. Although spacecraft have visited all of these planets, Earth-based telescopes continue to outperform them in moon-detection ability due to their greater availability for wide-field surveys. [citation needed]
The rings are believed to have been present approximately 466 million years ago. [1] [7] [8] The Hirnantian glaciation may be a direct result of the rings shielding light from reaching the Earth, [9] and the rings may have existed for up to 40 million years.
From planetary meet-ups to the first total lunar eclipse in three years, here are the top astronomy events to look for throughout 2025: Stellar views of Mars will greet stargazers in January as ...
The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) is set to take off today (14 April) after it was delayed yesterday (13 April) due to lightning warnings. Led by the European Space Agency, the mission will ...
Make sure you have a chair or blanket so you can look straight up. And give your eyes about 20 to 30 minutes to adjust to the darkness — without looking at your phone — so the meteors will be ...
The giant planets have extensive systems of natural satellites, including half a dozen comparable in size to Earth's Moon: the four Galilean moons, Saturn's Titan, and Neptune's Triton. Saturn has an additional six mid-sized natural satellites massive enough to have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium , and Uranus has five.
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It orbits at an average distance of 384,400 km (238,900 mi), about 30 times the diameter of Earth. Tidal forces between Earth and the Moon have synchronized the Moon's orbital period (lunar month) with its rotation period at 29.5 Earth days, causing the same side of the Moon to always face Earth.