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What are the moons of the outer planets made of, and how is their composition different from that of our Moon?
The composition of the moons of the outer planets and the difference between their composition and our Moon’s composition.
Explanation of Solution
Introduction:
The first four planets of our solar system nearest to the Sun, that is, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars lies inside the asteroid belt and are called the inner planets. The rest of the planets lie outside the asteroid belt and are called the outer planets. Moons are the natural satellites which revolve around the planets. The temperature of the outer planets and their moons is relatively very low due to the greater distance from the Sun.
The moons of the outer planets are composed of ice and rocks as their temperature is significantly low and due to this, the ice formation takes place easily. This ice is available in large quantity as the building material for the moons of the outer planets.
The composition of the moons of the outer planets differ from that of our Moon as the moons of outer planets are mainly composed of ice and rocks, whereas our Moon is mainly composed of rock only. Our Moon is situated closer to the Sun due to which, it does not have enough ice formation on it.
Conclusion:
Thus, the moons of the outer planets are composed of ice and rocks, whereas our Moon is mainly composed of rock only.
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