Fig. 6: Schematic view of the mass range in which a fractionally large exomoon can form by an impact. | Nature Communications

Fig. 6: Schematic view of the mass range in which a fractionally large exomoon can form by an impact.

From: Large planets may not form fractionally large moons

Fig. 6

The horizontal axis represents the mantle composition and the vertical axis represents the planetary mass normalized by the Earth mass M⊕. Rocky planets smaller than 6 M⊕ and icy planets smaller than 1 M⊕ are capable of forming fractionally large moons as indicated by the orange shading. Our prediction is consistent with planet–moon systems in the solar system.

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