Natural satellites of planets play a colossal role in the life of these space objects. Moreover, even we humans are able to feel the influence of the only natural satellite of our planet – the Moon.
General information
The natural satellites of the planets of the Solar System have long been of great interest to astronomers. Scientists are still studying them today. What are these space objects?
Natural satellites of planets are cosmic bodies of natural origin that revolve around planets. The most interesting for us are the natural satellites of the planets of the Solar System, since they are in close proximity to us.
Classification of satellites
Scientists divide planetary satellites into two types: satellites of artificial origin and natural ones. Satellites of artificial origin, or as they are also called, artificial satellites, are spacecraft created by people that allow observation of the planet around which they revolve, as well as other astronomical objects from space. Artificial satellites are usually used to observe the weather, radio broadcasts, changes in the relief of the planet’s surface, and for military purposes.
It should be noted that artificial satellites are not only around Earth, as many people believe. More than a dozen artificial satellites created by mankind revolve around the two planets closest to us – Venus and Mars. They allow us to observe climate conditions, changes in relief, and also receive other relevant information regarding our cosmic neighbors.
The second category of satellites – natural satellites of planets, is of great interest to us in this article. Natural satellites differ from artificial ones in that they were not created by man, but by nature itself. It is believed that most satellites of the Solar System are asteroids that were captured by the gravitational forces of the planets of this system. Subsequently, the asteroids took on a spherical shape and as a result began to rotate around the planet that captured them, as a constant companion. There is also a theory that says that natural satellites of planets are fragments of these planets themselves, which for one reason or another broke away from the planet itself during its formation. By the way, according to this theory, this is how the natural satellite of the Earth – the Moon – came into being. This theory is confirmed by a chemical analysis of the Moon’s composition. It showed that the chemical composition of the satellite is practically no different from the chemical composition of our planet, where the same chemical compounds are present as on the Moon.
The study of natural satellites of the planets of the Solar System has interested the minds of astronomers since ancient times. Since the invention of the first telescope, people have been actively studying these celestial objects. The breakthrough in the development of civilization allowed not only to discover a colossal number of satellites of various planets of the Solar System, but also to set foot on the main, closest to us, satellite of the Earth – the Moon. On July 21, 1969, American astronaut Neil Armstrong, together with the crew of the Apollo 11 spacecraft, first set foot on the surface of the Moon, which caused jubilation in the hearts of humanity at that time and is still considered one of the most important and significant events in space exploration.