Natural Satellites of The Solar System
The seven largest natural satellites in the Solar System (those bigger than 2,500 km across) are Jupiter's Galilean moons (Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa), Saturn's moon Titan, Earth's moon, and Neptune's captured natural satellite Triton. Triton, the smallest of these, has more mass than all smaller natural satellites together. Similarly in the next size group of nine natural satellites, between 1,000 km and 1,600 km across, Titania, Oberon, Rhea, Iapetus, Charon, Ariel, Umbriel, Dione, and Tethys, the smallest, Tethys, has more mass than all smaller natural satellites together. As well as the natural satellites of the various planets, there are also over 80 known natural satellites of the dwarf planets, asteroids and other small Solar System bodies. Some studies estimate that up to 15% of all trans-Neptunian objects could have satellites.
The following is a comparative table classifying the natural satellites in the Solar System by diameter. The column on the right includes some notable planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, and trans-Neptunian objects for comparison. The natural satellites of the planets are named after mythological figures. These are predominately Greek, except for the Uranian natural satellites, which are named after Shakespearean characters. The nineteen bodies massive enough to have achieved hydrostatic equilibrium are in bold in the table below. Minor planets and satellites suspected but not proven to have achieved a hydrostatic equilibrium are italicized in the table below.
| Mean diameter (km) |
Satellites of planets | Satellites of dwarf planets | Satellites of other minor planets |
Non-satellites for comparison |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus | Neptune | Pluto | Haumea | Eris | |||
| 4,000–6,000 | Ganymede Callisto |
Titan | Mercury | ||||||||
| 3,000–4,000 | Moon | Io Europa |
|||||||||
| 2,000–3,000 | Triton | Eris Pluto |
|||||||||
| 1,000–2,000 | Rhea Iapetus Dione Tethys |
Titania Oberon Umbriel Ariel |
Charon | Makemake Haumea 90377 Sedna 2007 OR10 |
|||||||
| 500–1,000 | Enceladus | Dysnomia | Ceres, Salacia Orcus, Quaoar 2 Pallas, 4 Vesta |
||||||||
| 250–500 | Mimas Hyperion |
Miranda | Proteus Nereid |
Hiʻiaka | Orcus I Vanth | 10 Hygiea 704 Interamnia 87 Sylvia |
|||||
| 100–250 | Amalthea Himalia Thebe |
Phoebe Janus Epimetheus |
Sycorax Puck Portia |
Larissa Galatea Despina |
Namaka | S/2005 (82075) 1 Sila–Nunam I Salacia I Actaea Ceto I Phorcys Patroclus I Menoetius |
3 Juno 1992 QB1 5 Astraea 42355 Typhon |
||||
| 50–100 | Elara Pasiphaë |
Prometheus Pandora |
Caliban Juliet Belinda Cressida Rosalind Desdemona Bianca |
Thalassa Halimede Neso Naiad |
Hydra Nix |
Quaoar I Weywot 90 Antiope I Typhon I Echidna Logos I Zoe |
90 Antiope 58534 Logos 253 Mathilde |
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| 25–50 | Carme Metis Sinope Lysithea Ananke |
Siarnaq Helene Albiorix Atlas Pan |
Ophelia Cordelia Setebos Prospero Perdita Stephano |
Sao Laomedeia Psamathe |
22 Kalliope I Linus | 1036 Ganymed 243 Ida |
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| 10–25 | Phobos Deimos |
Leda Adrastea |
Telesto Paaliaq Calypso Ymir Kiviuq Tarvos Ijiraq Erriapus |
Mab Cupid Francisco Ferdinand Margaret Trinculo |
P4 P5 |
762 Pulcova I Sylvia I Romulus 624 Hektor I Eugenia I Petit-Prince 121 Hermione I 283 Emma I 1313 Berna I 107 Camilla I |
433 Eros 1313 Berna |
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| < 10 | 50 moons | 36 moons | Sylvia II Remus Ida I Dactyl |
many | |||||||
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