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Large planets may not form fractionally large moons

Space Sciences

Large planets may not form fractionally large moons

M. Nakajima, H. Genda, et al.

Explore groundbreaking research by Miki Nakajima, Hidenori Genda, Erik Asphaug, and Shigeru Ida, revealing that large moons, like Earth's, may not form around bigger planets due to gas dynamics. Discover how smaller exoplanets could be more likely to host sizable moons, shedding light on the mystery of unconfirmed exomoons.

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Playback language: English
Abstract
Earth's large Moon, likely formed from a giant impact, stabilizes its spin axis and climate. The paper investigates whether large planets commonly form similarly large moons. Simulations suggest that vapor-rich moon-forming disks, common in impacts on planets larger than ~1.3–1.6 Earth radii, hinder moonlet growth due to gas drag. This implies that smaller rocky and icy exoplanets are better candidates for hosting fractionally large moons, potentially explaining the lack of confirmed exomoons.
Publisher
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Published On
Feb 01, 2022
Authors
Miki Nakajima, Hidenori Genda, Erik Asphaug, Shigeru Ida
Tags
large moons
planet formation
exoplanets
moonlet growth
gas drag
giant impact
vapor-rich disks

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