<![CDATA[io9: Moons]]> http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png <![CDATA[io9: Moons]]> http://io9.com/tag/moons http://io9.com/tag/moons <![CDATA[How the solar system's strangest moon, Iapetus, lost its rings]]> One of the weirdest of the solar system's moons is Iapetus. This is a medium-sized (1,471 km (914 miles) satellite of Saturn, orbiting about 3,561,300 km (2,213,000 miles) from the planet. Seen from the surface of Iapetus, Saturn looms about four times larger than a full Moon in Earth's sky. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5881075&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The weirdest moons in the solar system, and what it would look like to stand on them]]> It would sometimes seem as though there are two solar systems: One including planets, and another including moons. Until recently, most books about the solar system focused on the planets, stopping only to acknowledge the existence of their satellites with a kind of half-embarrassed nod. They would be discussed as a kind of afterthought. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5858139&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Five of Saturn's Moons in One Breathtaking Photo]]> Sometimes, things just line up perfectly. Like in this amazing photo of five of Saturn's moons together. This is no composite, this is one photo with five moons in view. You can't actually see Saturn itself, just the planet's rings. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5839618&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pluto's newly discovered fourth moon is roughly the size of Trenton, NJ]]> The Hubble Space Telescope may be getting old, but it still has excellent spotting power — witness its discovery of a fourth moon of Pluto, which is between 8 miles and 21 miles in diameter. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5823332&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[A Handy Timeline of Every Apollo Mission]]> Check out this fun timeline documenting all of NASA's Apollo missions, from 1966 to 1972. As part of the viral marketing for the new space-horror movie Apollo 18, they've put together an awesome resource, and here's your first look. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5805885&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Most extrasolar planets we've discovered are probably moonless]]> We've already discovered hundreds of exoplanets in other solar systems, but so far we haven't discovered a single extrasolar moon. It may just be because they're much harder to find - or because more extreme gravitational forces make them impossible. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5615053&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[That's No Moon... That's A Bunch Of Free-Floating Debris]]> If analysis of new images of Jupiter are to be believed, the planet may have found itself with a new ring recently, which may answer the question of what happened to disappearing moon S/2000 J 11... More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5497561&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Real, Shameful Reason We'll Explore Saturn's Moons]]> Exploring the moons of Saturn and Jupiter could show us habitable worlds, liquid water, and perhaps even alien life. But webcomic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal suggests that the real reason we'll visit Enceladus won't be for scientific exploration. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5436854&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[NASA Finds Saturn's Missing Moon]]> Every one of Saturn's rings has had a known moon — except the mysterious "G" ring. Now NASA's Cassini Space Probe has found the planet's 61st satellite. Meanwhile, you've voted for your next space-porn fix. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5164726&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[The Mysterious "Arcs" of Saturn's Moons]]> Saturn's moons Anthe and Methone are getting in on the ring action that made the planet they orbit so famous. As you know, Saturn sports a whole series of glamorous rings, so huge and reflective that astronomers have been seeing them for centuries. Now it turns out that Saturn's moons Anthe and Methone have accumulated arcs of dust that stretch out around them like wings (pictured). The Cassini site reports today that this is caused by the gravitational fields produced by the moons and Saturn, which hold this debris in position. [via Cassini Imaging Central Lab] More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5046110&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Satellite Smackdown — Which Moon is the Solar System's Awesomest?]]> A little while back, io9er Ed said Titan was "The Awesomest Moon in the Solar System." Well where I come from, them's fightin' words. What about Earth's Moon? Mars' Phobos? Europa?? There are boatloads of kickass moons in the solar system. We break down ten contenders in a highly scientific chart to settle this debate, once and for all. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=386452&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Humans To Reach The Moon - Of Mars - In Ten Years?]]> Proving that the space race isn't entirely dead, scientists have announced that while manned missions to Mars may still be some time away, manned missions to Mars' moons could happen within the next decade According to Pascal Lee of the Mars Institute:
They are the most accessible planetary bodies in our solar system. It's counterintuitive, but they're even easier to get to than Earth's Moon, for a robotic mission.
That's right; the space race isn't dead, it just has real problems with the concept of distance. Image of Phobos courtesy of ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum) More »
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