Ersa (moon)

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/ersa-moon

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the object classification?Moon (small, irregular satellite)
2. What is the parent planet?Jupiter
3. What is Ersa and where does it orbit?Ersa is a tiny, dark moon that orbits the giant planet Jupiter.
4. How big is Ersa compared to other moons?Ersa is very small, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) across, making it one of the smallest moons of Jupiter.

Irregular Satellite: A moon with an orbit that is inclined, eccentric, or retrograde relative to its planet.
Protoplanetary Disk: The rotating disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star from which planets form.
Albedo: The measure of how much light an object reflects; a low albedo means it is dark.
Gravitational Influence: The force exerted by an object with mass that attracts other objects with mass.