Yes, it’s possible for a moon to have its own moons. Scientists call these “moonmoons”.
Moons can have moons under the right circumstances. The best candidates would be:
- As massive as possible
- Relatively far away from the parent body to minimize the inspiral risk
- Not so far away that there’s a chance of an easy ejection
- Well-separated from any other moons, rings, or satellites that could perturb your system
Several moons in our own solar system could host submoons, including:
- Titan and Iapetus, which orbit Saturn
- Callisto, which orbits Jupiter
- Earth’s moon, which is the right size and distance from Earth to potentially host its very own moon
However, moons tend to rotate slowly, which makes it difficult for a moon’s moon to find a stable orbit.
Bottom line is: A moon can have its own moons if it’s big enough, and far enough from the planet, and if the secondary moons are close enough to the primary moon. It’s theoretically possible for moons of moons to exist in stable orbits, gravitationally speaking.
What is it called when a moon has its own moon?
In the paper, the astronomers simply dub the moons of moons “submoons.” But Kollmeier tells Natasha Frost at Quartz that usage was just a personal choice, and that there is no official word, yet. Other terms for the moon of moon have been suggested, including moonmoons, moonitos, moonettes, and moooons
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