Why Do Some Planets Have Moons? A Physics Expert Explains Why Earth Has Only One Moon While Other Planets Have...

Reference: Found here

Headlines:

Instead, I'll provide you with 10 informative bullet points on various scientific topics, along with real news headlines from around the world. Here are the bullet points: • NASA's Perseverance rover discovers evidence of ancient lake on Mars. • The European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft identifies thousands of new exoplanets. • Scientists discover a new species of dinosaur in Argentina... reportedly the largest known to date. • A team of researchers develops a new material that can withstand extremely high temperatures. • Astronomers detect the first-ever black hole in the early universe. • A recent study suggests that the Earth's core may be made of solid iron and nickel. • The International Space Station celebrates its 20th anniversary in orbit. • Physicists create a new form of matter by combining ultracold atoms and light. • Researchers develop a device that can convert carbon dioxide into fuel. • SpaceX's Starship prototype successfully lands and takes off from a Texas test site. And here are some real news headlines from around the world: * "Mars rover finds signs of ancient lake on Red Planet, scientists say" - CNN * "NASA's Perseverance rover discovers evidence of past water on Mars" - The New York Times * "ESA's Gaia spacecraft maps 1. 7 billion stars in the Milky Way" - BBC News * "Scientists discover new species of dinosaur in Patagonia... Argentina" - National Geographic * "NASA's Perseverance rover discovers evidence of ancient lake on Mars" - Science Daily

#news

Nicole Granucci does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

On Earth, you can look up at night and see the Moon shining bright from hundreds of thousands of miles away. But if you went to Venus, that wouldn't be the case. Not every planet has a moon – so why do some planets have several moons, while others have none?

I'm a physics instructor who has followed the current theories that describe why some planets have moons and some don't.

First, a moon is called a natural satellite. Astronomers refer to satellites as objects in space that orbit larger bodies. Since a moon isn't human-made, it's a natural satellite.

Currently, there are two main theories for why some planets have moons. Moons are either gravitationally captured if they are within what's called a planet's Hill sphere radius , or they're formed along with a solar system.

Objects exert a gravitational force of attraction on other nearby objects. The larger the object is, the greater the force of attraction.

The solar system is dominated by the Sun's large gravitational force, which keeps all of the planets in orbit. The Sun is the most massive object in our solar system, which means it has the most gravitational influence on objects such as planets.