Mars has two small moons,PhobosandDeimos. They were discovered in 1877 by astronomer Asaph Hall, who named them for the Latin terms “fear” and “panic”. These moons are thought to be captured asteroids and are among the smallest natural satellites in the solar system. ...
Uranus, seventh planet in distance from the Sun and the least massive of the solar system’s four giant, or Jovian, planets. Uranus has more than two dozen moons, five of which (Umbriel, Miranda, Ariel, Titania, and Oberon) are relatively large, and a sy
Venus,Mars,JupiterandSaturnwere named during ancient times, because they were visible to the naked eye, the Roman method of naming planets was retained after the discovery ofUranusandNeptune.
000 years ago, Babylonian astronomer-astrologers called the planetNergalfor their god of death and pestilence. The planet’s two moons,Phobos(Greek: “Fear”) andDeimos(“Terror”), were named for two of the sons ofAresandAphrodite(the counterparts ofMarsandVenus, respectively, inGreek mythology...
In the case of Ida, its moon Dactyl (the dot of light on the right) orbits once every 37 hours at an average distance of 108 km (67 miles). Phobos is the larger of Mars’s two moons and very dark like Phoebe. For years investigators puzzled over the parallel grooves on Phobos ...
the study of the saturn system. more close-up images of saturn's moons were acquired, as well as evidence of changes in the atmosphere and the rings. cassini-huygens orbited saturn from july 2004 until september 2017, sending back a wealth of data about the planet, its moons, and rings...
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Pioneer 11,Voyager 1and2, and theCassini-Huygens missionhave all studied the planet. Cassini orbited Saturn from July 2004 until September 2017, sending back a wealth of data about the planet, its moons, and rings. Saturn has more moons than any other planet. ...
During some parts of its orbit one or the other of its poles point directly at the Sun and get about 42 years of direct sunlight. The rest of the time they are in darkness. Uranus is often referred to as an “ice giant” planet. ...