Samuel Chiltern answered
There are at least 146 confirmed moons in the entire solar system, and there are approximately 25 celestial bodies which are still waiting to have their statuses confirmed.
Astronomers expect that there will be further discoveries made within our solar system, too - so we live in very exciting times for astronomy!
What Are the Outer Planets?
There are four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These four planets are much larger than the rocky inner planets (such as Earth) and each has a far greater mass.
How Many Moons Do the Outer Planets Have?
The outer planets share the vast wealth of the moons found in our solar system. For example, take a look at the following breakdown:
Gases and liquids are lighter than the solid materials that dominate the smaller rocky planets. When the solar system was formed, the outer planets formed more quickly and gained mass much faster.
This extra mass ensured that these planets exhibited a stronger gravitational pull upon the material surrounding them - which meant that they were able to attract large amounts of the debris thrown up during the solar system's formation. This would account for many of the moons possessed by the outer planets.
Astronomers expect that there will be further discoveries made within our solar system, too - so we live in very exciting times for astronomy!
What Are the Outer Planets?
There are four outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. These four planets are much larger than the rocky inner planets (such as Earth) and each has a far greater mass.
How Many Moons Do the Outer Planets Have?
The outer planets share the vast wealth of the moons found in our solar system. For example, take a look at the following breakdown:
- Jupiter - currently has 50 known moons, with 16 awaiting confirmation
- Saturn - 53 moons, with nine awaiting confirmation. The chunks of ice and rocks in Saturn's rings are not considered moons, although there are moons orbiting within these rings
- Uranus - only has 27 known moons, although it is more difficult to detect new moons, because this planet is smaller, dimmer and further away
- Neptune - has the fewest known moons, with a total of 13. One of its moons, Triton, is the same size as the dwarf planet Pluto
Gases and liquids are lighter than the solid materials that dominate the smaller rocky planets. When the solar system was formed, the outer planets formed more quickly and gained mass much faster.
This extra mass ensured that these planets exhibited a stronger gravitational pull upon the material surrounding them - which meant that they were able to attract large amounts of the debris thrown up during the solar system's formation. This would account for many of the moons possessed by the outer planets.
