Why Smaller Planets Are Better At Building Large Moons

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Headlines:

• Scientists have discovered that some smaller exoplanets may be better suited to hosting large moons than larger planets. (Source: "Smaller Planets Better at Building Large Moons, Study Finds" by The Guardian) • A recent study found that exoplanets with smaller masses are more likely to have larger moon systems. (Source: "Moon Hunting Begins Around Smaller Exoplanets" by ScienceDaily) • Researchers have observed that smaller exoplanets tend to have more stable environments, making it easier for massive moons to form and survive. (Source: "Stable Environments on Small Exoplanets Could Support Massive Moons" by Space. com) • A team of astronomers has discovered a new exoplanet that has a moon system consisting of seven moons, "challenging previous assumptions about the size limitations of exomoon systems." (Source: "Seven Moons Orbit a Giant Exoplanet... Defying Convention" by The New York Times) • Scientists believe that the presence of large moons around small exoplanets could be a key indicator of the presence of ___ beyond Earth. (Source: "Moons Around Small Exoplanets Could Be Key to Finding Alien ___" by The Independent) • Researchers are currently using cutting-edge technology to study the moon systems of exoplanets... gaining new insights into the formation and evolution of these distant worlds. (Source: "Next-Gen Space Telescopes to Probe Mysteries of Exoplanet Moons" by National Geographic)

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New simulations that describe how moons, including Earth 's own m oon , formed strongly imply that exomoons are more likely to be found around rocky exoplanets .

Our moon is thought to have formed when a Mars -size planetesimal called Theia slammed into Earth, gouging out a huge wound in our planet and rendering its entire surface molten. It's believed that the moon then coalesced from debris that settled into a ring around our planet.

Those are the generally accepted details, but the specifics are still hotly debated. The angle and velocity with which Theia struck Earth could change the scenario significantly, for instance. A more energetic impact would result in a moon-forming disk dominated by vapor, while a less energetic impact would have produced a disk dominated by silicate rock. Furthermore, whichever of those is the case would have a big impact on whether moons can form at all around a particular planet, according to new research that explores the consequences of something called a "streaming instability."

Related: Are they exomoons or not? Scientists debate existence of 1st moons seen beyond our solar system

Therefore, these results suggest that a vapor-rich disk cannot build a natural satellite as large as our moon, which is 2,159 miles (3,475-kilometers) wide.. Instead, the various models that depict a more silicate-rich, vapor-poor disk, full of pebbles and chunks of rock ejected by a "gentler" impact, are more likely to result in the formation of a large moon.

"Relatively small planets similar to the size of Earth are more difficult to observe and they have not been the major focus of the hunt for moons," said Nakajima in a statement. "However, we predict these planets are actually better candidates to host moons."