Asteroid moon facts for kids

The asteroid 243 Ida and its moon Dactyl.

An asteroid moon is an asteroid that orbits or goes around another asteroid. Asteroid moons are quite rare. Only 2% of asteroids are thought to have moons.

To be an asteroid moon, an asteroid has to be smaller than the object it goes around. If they are roughly the same size they are called a binary pair.

The Solar System
Sun • Heliosphere	Planets ☾ = moon(s) ∅ = rings		Mercury	Venus	Earth ☾	Mars ☾
			Jupiter ☾ ∅	Saturn ☾ ∅	Uranus ☾ ∅	Neptune ☾ ∅
	Dwarf planets		Ceres	Pluto ☾	Haumea ☾	Makemake
			Eris ☾
	Small Solar System bodies	Asteroids (minor planets)	Groups and families: Vulcanoids · Near-Earth asteroids · Asteroid belt Jupiter Trojans · Centaurs · Neptune Trojans · Asteroid moons · Meteoroids · Pallas · Juno · Vesta · Hygiea · Interamnia · Europa
			See also the list of asteroids.
		Trans- Neptunians	Kuiper belt – Plutinos: Orcus · Ixion – Cubewanos: Varuna · Quaoar · Huya
			Scattered disc: Sedna
		Comets	Periodic comets and non-periodic comets Damocloids · Oort cloud
See also the list of solar system objects

Images for kids

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  The eight largest TNOs with moons (Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, Eris, Quaoar, Gonggong, Orcus and Salacia), with the Earth to scale. Gonggong is written as its provisional designation, 2007 OR₁₀.

See also

In Spanish: Satélite asteroidal para niños