The first moon has to be far enough away from the main planet so that it doesn't have orbital allegiance problems. We think the solar system started with at least 30 planets when it originally formed. And it was just a jockeying force stable orbits. So there you go. What you all do for your moon, some other planets gravity will take it off. Just better remember that.
What if the solar system had two suns? Neil deGrasse Tyson and Chuck Nice give a sneak peek into our patron-only Q&As with questions about the three body problem, galaxy formation, the alpha centauri system, and more.
NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free here: https://startalkmedia.com/show/moonmoons-gravitons-and-more/
Thanks to our Patrons Donald Jones, Mohammed Taha Faridi, Jon Barnett, Harmon Dhaliwal, and Sean Griffen for supporting us this week.
Photo Credit: Elmi1966, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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