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What is the largest satellite (in the true definition of the term) in our solar system?

Question #151838. Asked by odo5435.
Last updated Dec 03 2024.
Originally posted Nov 29 2024 10:29 AM.

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elburcher star
Answer has 3 votes
Currently Best Answer
elburcher star
24 year member
1550 replies avatar

Answer has 3 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
The largest natural satellite in the solar system is Ganymede.
Jupiter's moon Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system, bigger than the planet Mercury and dwarf planet Pluto.

link https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter/moons/ganymede/facts/

Nov 29 2024, 11:50 AM
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elburcher star
Answer has 1 vote
elburcher star
24 year member
1550 replies avatar

Answer has 1 vote.
After being pointed to the definition of what a Satellite is, my previous answer is incorrect.
First the definition of a "satellite".
A satellite is a body that orbits around another body in space. There are two different types of satellites - natural and man-made. Examples of natural satellites are the Earth and Moon. The Earth rotates around the Sun and the Moon rotates around the Earth. A man-made satellite is a machine that is launched into space and orbits around a body in space. Examples of man-made satellites include the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.

With the above definition, Jupiter itself not it's moon Ganymede would be the largest natural satellite in our Solar System as it's the largest planet orbiting our Sun.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. If Jupiter was a hollow shell, 1,000 Earths could fit inside. Jupiter also is the oldest planet, forming from the dust and gases left over from the Sun's formation 4.5 billion years ago. But it has the shortest day in the solar system, taking only 10.5 hours to spin around once on its axis.

link https://science.nasa.gov/jupiter

Response last updated by elburcher on Dec 03 2024.
Dec 03 2024, 8:37 AM
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