Planet and moon switching places?

Question

I saw a program on the Science channel called "The Universe" on it was the category the moon, how it came to be.

That made me think about something else, what if there was a really large moon somewhere in the universe and there was a planet circling that moon that was 1/4 the size of the moon.

Is that possible, is it possible for it to hold life if its sun is the right distance away and it had the right type of living conditions needed for life?

I would like to hear thoughts, theories and opinions, unless they are malicious at me for asking this question.

Answer 1

Europa seems to line up with your question, but Europa has yet to be explored.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/03/0323_050323_jupitereuropa.html

the term moon is synonymous with satellite which is the term for a body in orbit around a planet.

just to clarify, (of the subject) a moon orbiting around a moon around a planet will end up in catastrophe due to 'chaos' and the gravitation pulls

Answer 2

You are grossly misinformed as to what constitutes a planet and what constitutes a moon. A planet does not orbit a moon. Look up definitions in Wikipedia. Otherwise, with that handicap, I can't spend time bringing you up to speed on basic astrophysics -- you want "thoughts, theories and opinions, unless they are malicious at me for asking this question.".

Catch the next episode on "The Universe". It's about Jupiter, I believe. It may address some of the 60 moons in orbit around it, and the possibility of life spawning where there might be favorable temperatures, water and other essentials. Life on moons is not impossible. It's all about the "Goldilocks" zone. Things have to be "just right'.

You might also do a little independent research on Saturn's moons. Scientists do hold out some hope that the elements of life might be found on one or two there as well.

Answer 3

Not only possible, but inevitable. There are many things that have to be factored in, but even using the most unfavorable numbers, in our galaxy alone there must be thousands of habitable planets, and more likely millions. There are simply so many stars, billions of which lie in a favorable area of the galaxy like our own. We are not alone. The vast distances between stars may preclude travel, however I think it is just a matter of time before the SETI program turns a signal. One problem may be that civilizations don't last very long. Our own technical civilization is only one hundred years old, give or take a few years, and for more than fifty of those we've stood on the brink of our own destruction. In all honesty, I think that we are headed for radio silence. I don't see how it can be avoided. The tools of our destruction are becoming more and more readily at hand and there is no stopping them. So the answer is yes, planets like our own undoubtedly exist, but the civilizations they spawn are probably short lived. The very, very few that might be exceptions probably keep a low profile and do it for good reason.

Answer 4

I think it would be more appropriate to call the larger of the two bodies the "planet."

As far as the possibility for life; sure, why not? We don't necessarily have a universally defined set of rules or conditions under which life will form, but we know that life developed here on Earth!
The earth - moon system is similar to the model you described. We are subject to the same physical laws as the rest of the universe, so we can only assume that life must exist elsewhere.

Answer 5

It appears you are confused on what is a planet and what is a moon.
By our definition, a planet is an object that is large enough to have formed into a sphere and orbits a star.
A moon is a natural satellite orbiting a planet.
So if there is an object 1/4 the mass of another and orbiting it, the larger object is the planet and the smaller one is the moon.

The possibility of life on other planets is not debated, there are detailed papers and articles on what the requirements for life as we know it are to survive on other worlds.
Every star has a "Goldilocks" zone, also called the 'habitable' or 'green' zone where a planet (or moon or both) of sufficient mass could have liquid water.
The first searches for life will focus on finding liquid water, since that is what life as we know it requires. But there are many scientists that theorize what other environments life could evolve in (methane, ammonia, other liquids could serve as the background for life just as water does for our world).

So its not a silly question, but it isn't a new one. Humans have been pondering life on other worlds for thousands of years, and scientists have been looking for decades - maybe not aggressively searching but NASA's mandate from the White House right now is to "follow the water".

Answer 6

Not only possible, but inevitable. There are many things that have to be factored in, but even using the most unfavorable numbers, in our galaxy alone there must be thousands of habitable planets, and more likely millions. There are simply so many stars, billions of which lie in a favorable area of the galaxy like our own. We are not alone. The vast distances between stars may preclude travel, however I think it is just a matter of time before the SETI program turns a signal. One problem may be that civilizations don't last very long. Our own technical civilization is only one hundred years old, give or take a few years, and for more than fifty of those we've stood on the brink of our own destruction. In all honesty, I think that we are headed for radio silence. I don't see how it can be avoided. The tools of our destruction are becoming more and more readily at hand and there is no stopping them. So the answer is yes, planets like our own undoubtedly exist, but the civilizations they spawn are probably short lived. The very, very few that might be exceptions probably keep a low profile and do it for good reason.

Answer 7

Moons are a naturally occurring satellite, or relatively large body, orbiting a planet.

They HAVE to orbit a larger planet to become a moon

Since we know from our own solar system an orbiting satellite can have an atmosphere (Titan orbiting Saturn) it is entirely possible for a moon to develop life, but it would have to deal with the fact it would be orbiting an object that would constantly eclipse it every "day"

Then there would probably be more tidal forces in affect thus creating more tectonic activity.

Answer 8

If a planet is at the right distance (getting the correct amount of energy) and has all the conditions for life, such as water and an atmosphere, then there is no reason that it cannot hold life.

However, it might have to be the size of the Earth or a little larger to fit your conditions. That would allow it to hold the right mix of gases, without getting overheated...

Answer 9

The question should be what type of life forms are on other planets moon and whatever is out there. We know for sure that all planets etc already have some consciousness life form if nothing else but the molecule structure from what is

Answer 10

Hi Jacob,

Several responders have pointed out some apparent misunderstandings in your thinking, so I won't bother with that. But you seem sincerely interested. I would encourage you to read and learn a little about cosmology. Cosmology is a branch of astronomy which deals with the nature and origin of the universe and objects it contains. I place a link in the reference section to some books you might enjoy.
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