Mar 12 2025 - How Many Moons

 

Why do we have one moon and Saturn has 146 plus 128 moons?  A physics exp[ert explains: "Currently, there are two main theories for why some planets have moons. Moons are either gravitationally captured if they are within what’s called a planet’s Hill sphere radius, or they’re formed along with a solar system."   Doesn't the picture explain it well! "Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune have larger Hill sphere radii, because they are much larger than Earth, Mars, Mercury and Venus and they’re farther from the Sun. Their gravitational pulls can attract and keep more natural satellites such as moons in orbit. For example, Jupiter has 95 moons, while Saturn has 146.  (plus the 128 we just learned about.) Earth’s Moon is special because it likely formed in a different way. Scientists believe that long ago, a large, Mars-sized object collided with the Earth. During that collision, a big chunk flew off the Earth and into its orbit and became the Moon. Ultimately, the question of why some planets have moons is still widely debated, but factors such as a planet’s size, gravitational pull, Hill sphere radius and how its solar system formed may play a role." I wondered about our moon and its singularity.  How many songs there are about the moon and with references to the moon in them.  I asked the question and the answer? "No one is willing to give a count of the number of songs about the moon.  Especially irritating is the AI answer: It's impossible to give an exact, absolute number of songs about the moon, as countless songs exist, with some containing only fleeting moon references and others dedicating more time to the subject." This is the AI overview on Google, and seems lame at best. Is AI too lazy to count the number of song titles and project an estimate?   Of course pick something like: how many songs are on the dark side of the moon. And the answer says there are 10 tracks on The Dark Side of the Moon.  Google has a definite fixation with this album.   Can you imagine if there were 274 of these in the sky?  Bright and busy, I guess.  And then wouldn't there be tidal and gravitation effects? Yes, huge ocean tides up to kilometre high, frequent tsunamis, volcanic activity and earthquakes.  Likely, even with just a few more.  And it seems to me, we wouldn't be here. I'll stick with one moon and uncountable songs about it.

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