Astronomers recently announced that they have identified 274 moons around Saturn. I asked Grok for a numerical breakdown of size class vs. number of moons in that size class.
Two facts stand out.
- Titan is HUGE compared to the rest of the Saturnian moon system, and accounts for over 95% of the Saturnian moon system’s mass!
- I would expect the smaller the size class, the more moons. This is not the case for the smallest class. Perhaps because there are many moons in this class yet to be discovered?
Now let me put on my Interplanetary Real Estate Developer Hat.
Ceres has a diameter of 946 km, yet constitutes 39% of the mass of the Asteroid Belt. Saturn has five moons larger than Ceres. Thus, Saturn’s moon system has several times the mass of the Asteroid Belt. Yes, Saturn is much farther away than the Asteroid Belt, but in terms of O’Neill Colony space colonization, Saturn’s moon system has a much bigger potential.
That is, unless the Solar Council designates Titan as an Interplanetary Heritage Site. I have to admit I’m not really opposed to that.
Engineer Zero 