Irregular 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/irregular-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. How big is Irregular moon?Diameters generally range from a few kilometers to under 100 kilometers
2. What is the formation mechanism?Gravitational capture of asteroids or comets
3. What is the orbital inclination?Typically high, often exceeding 30 degrees relative to the planet's equator
4. What makes irregular moons different from our Moon?Irregular moons are not round; they are lumpy or elongated and travel in bumpy, tilted paths around their planets.
5. How do irregular moons get stuck around planets?They were once asteroids or comets that came close to a big planet, and the planet’s strong gravity pulled them into orbit.

Hydrostatic Equilibrium: The balance between gravity and internal pressure that makes large celestial bodies spherical.
Circumplanetary Disk: A disk of gas and dust surrounding a young planet from which moons can form.
Orbital Resonance: When the gravitational influence of two orbiting bodies causes their orbits to be related by a ratio of small integers.