LESSON 5: MOONS, MOONS, AND MORE MOONS

We will use our interactive notebook to draw the four main moons of Jupiter. First, let's see a video of these fascinating places.
First, let's compare moons to asteroids. Most asteroids in the Asteroid Belt are the same color but vary in size and shape.
Moons can differ in their surface appearance, their shape, their size, their inner layers, their composition, and their seismic activity. To confuse matters, some moons are captured asteroids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7m-RadV5VI&feature=related

HERE'S A QUICK TOUR OF SOME OF THE LARGER AND MORE UNUSUAL MOONS IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM:

IO ~ ONE OF THE FOUR GALILEAN MOONS

GALILEO DISCOVERED THEM IN 1610, BUT THEY ONLY APPEARED AS TINY, BRIGHT DOTS.

CALLISTO ~ ONE OF THE 4 MAIN MOONS OF JUPITER

EUROPA ~ PERHAPS THERE IS AN OCEAN UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE

GANYMEDE ~ DO SOME RESEARCH AND SEE IF THIS MOON IS LARGER THAN MERCURY. IT'S THE LARGEST IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

A FEW OTHER MOONS

PHOEBE

ENCELADUS ~ PROBABLY MY FAVORITE MOON!

ARIEL

HYPERION

TRITON

GALATEA

THE FOUR GALILEAN MOONS AS SEEN FROM EARTH. YOU CAN SEE THEM WITH BINOCULARS. THIS IMAGE IS FROM AN EXCELLENT TELESCOPE.

A FEW QUESTIONS:

HOW DID WE GET SUCH WONDERFUL IMAGES OF THESE MOONS?

HOW DOES OUR MOON COMPARE?

HAVE ALL THE MOONS BEEN DISCOVERED?

WILL WE SEND PEOPLE OR SPACECRAFT TO SOME OF THESE MOONS?