Did You Know: Space – Do other planets have moons?
Our moon is not the only one in the solar system. Except for Venus and Mercury, all of the other planets have moons. Some asteroids have moons and the dwarf planet Pluto has five moons.
Miranda
Tiny Miranda orbits Uranus. This moon looks like it is made of lots of different pieces that don’t quite fit together. It is home to the largest cliff in the solar system.
Ganymede
This is the biggest moon in the solar system—even bigger than the planet Mercury! Ganymede is one of the 67 moons that orbit Jupiter.
Io
This moon of Jupiter is the most volcanic place in our solar system. Io has hundreds of active volcanoes. Some of them spew out plumes of lava that rise hundreds of miles high.
Enceladus
This is the sixth largest of Saturn’s 62 moons. It is covered in an icy crust that has an ocean below it. Eruptions of rock and dust from Enceladus have formed one of Saturn’s outer rings.
Could there be life on any moons?
Europa
This moon orbits Jupiter.
It has a liquid ocean lurking beneath its frozen surface.
Scientists think it is possible that there could be life in Europa’s ocean.
Titan
This moon of Saturn is the only one in our solar system with an atmosphere.
Scientists think Titan could be like a young Earth, and that some form of life may exist there.