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Of the Solar System's eight planets and its nine most likely dwarf planets, six planets and seven dwarf planets are known to be orbited by at least 300 natural satellites, or moons. At least 19 of them are large enough to be gravitationally rounded; of these, all are covered by a crust of ice except for Earth's Moon and Jupiter's Io . [ 1 ]
A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another natural satellite). Natural satellites are colloquially referred to as moons , a derivation from the Moon of Earth .
Earth observation satellite missions developed by the ESA as of 2019. Earth observation satellites are Earth-orbiting spacecraft with sensors used to collect imagery and measurements of the surface of the earth. These satellites are used to monitor short-term weather, long-term climate change, natural disasters.
These lists contain the Sun, the planets, dwarf planets, many of the larger small Solar System bodies (which includes the asteroids), all named natural satellites, and a number of smaller objects of historical or scientific interest, such as comets and near-Earth objects.
The habitability of natural satellites is the potential of moons to provide habitats for life, though it is not an indicator that they harbor it.Natural satellites are expected to outnumber planets by a large margin and the study of their habitability is therefore important to astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial life.
List of Solar System objects most distant from the Sun; List of Solar System objects by size; Lists of geological features of the Solar System; List of natural satellites (moons) Lists of small Solar System bodies; Lists of comets; List of meteor showers; Minor planets. List of minor planets. List of exceptional asteroids; List of minor planet ...
List of GPS satellites; H. List of artificial objects in heliocentric orbit; I. List of Indian satellites; List of Intelsat satellites; K. List of Kosmos satellites; N.
It is the only satellite in the Solar System known to possess a magnetosphere, likely created through convection within the liquid iron core. [ 43 ] Ganymede is composed primarily of silicate rock and water ice, and a salt-water ocean is believed to exist nearly 200 km below Ganymede's surface, sandwiched between layers of ice. [ 44 ]