About 20% of asteroids have moons, with some having more than one. Five asteroids in the asteroid belt have two moons, including 93 Minerva, 87 Sylvia, and 45 Eugenia. Researchers can use moon information to learn more about the asteroid, except for 93 Minerva, which is much denser. The first asteroid moon discovered was Dactyl, the moon of 243 Ida. When an asteroid and its moon are the same size, they are called a double asteroid system, like 90 Antiope. There are at least 47 asteroids with known moons in the main asteroid belt.
About 20% of asteroids have moons, and some have more than one. Five asteroids in the asteroid belt have two moons, including asteroids named 93 Minerva, 87 Sylvia, and 45 Eugenia. Researchers can use information about an asteroid’s moon to learn more about the asteroid itself, because they often have the same origins. An exception to this is 93 Minerva, because it is much denser than other multi-moon asteroids.
More Asteroid Facts:
The first asteroid moon ever discovered is called Dactyl, and it is the moon of 243 Ida. It was discovered in 1993 by the Galileo spacecraft and was the second asteroid ever visited by a spacecraft.
When an asteroid and its moon are roughly the same size, they can be called a double asteroid system. An example of this is the 90 Antiope system. Both 90 Antiope and its moon are about 55 miles (about 88 km) in diameter, and both sides are among the 500 largest known asteroids.
There are at least 47 asteroids with known moons or satellites only in the main asteroid belt.
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