Data for Moons in the Solar System with Masses

Question

I'm looking for a simple machine-readable table with basic parameters for all the known moons of the planets in the solar system.

Stumbling around the internet, I can find plenty of sources like this one that have a listing with orbital parameters, but they leave out mass. If you're trying to automate some Delta V calculations, then you're out of luck. Even Wikipedia does this.

I would be happy to grab these from any larger (more arbitrary) database, but the JPL tools I've found don't seem to include natural satellites of planets.

So even though this question sounds absurdly simple, it's actually quite non-trivial and I would hate to write a script to crawl individual links for the data. Any suggestions to hasten this process would be appreciated, thanks.

Answer 1

JPL have a Solar System Dynamics site that looks like it has useful information.

The Satellite physical parameters page has useful information, though note there isn't a raw mass. Instead it gives a G.M product which one assumes you're meant to use directly for calculations. (It also gives references for most of the figures.)

There is also a Search engine page that looks like it will return information for smaller bodies (asteroids, comets etc. not satellites.)

Answer 2

There is one source on Wikipedia, List of gravitationally rounded objects of the Solar System which lists 6 solar system dwarf planets and 10 trans Neptunian dwarf planets, together with 19 moons. All include their mass. Small moons, too small to be spherical, are not listed here.

However there is another Wikipedia page (List of Solar System objects by size) which gives masses (where known) of remaining objects down to 1km size.

So between the two lists everything seems to be covered. I'm not sure what is needed to be "machine readable" though.

Answer 3

It was a little bit like pulling teeth, but I have data now. I started a github repo for this data sanitizer and for what I'm planning on doing with it.

There are certainly caveats to this data. Obviously not all orbits are circular, and not all moons are very sphere-like. But sometimes you just want to strangle your computer yelling I don't care if it's right, just make it machine-readable already! In this list, you got the moon name in a row and the planet it orbits. Now that I look at it, I really should not have bothered including the numbering of the moon. If you wanted the order, you would just sort the list by a for that planet. I guess I forgot to add the planet names too, but that shouldn't be difficult to figure out. Determining what object each planet is orbiting is also an exercise left to the reader.

 --planet list--
Diameter (km)   Orbital Inclination (degrees)   Distance from Sun (106 km)  Mass (1024kg)
4879.0  7.0 57.9    0.33
12104.0 3.4 108.2   4.87
12756.0 0.0 149.6   5.97
3475.0  5.1 0.384   0.073
6792.0  1.9 227.9   0.642
142984.0    1.3 778.6   1898.0
120536.0    2.5 1433.5  568.0
51118.0 0.8 2872.5  86.8
49528.0 1.8 4495.1  102.0
2370.0  17.2    5906.4  0.0146

--moon data--
moon_name   planet_name a   dia number  r   rho GM  albedo
Moon    Earth   3476    27.322  0   1737.5  3.344   4902.801    0.12
Phobos  Mars    24.0    0.319   1   11.1    1.872   0.0007112   0.071
Deimos  Mars    8   1.263   0   6.2 1.471   0.0000985   0.068
Hegemone    Jupiter 3   781.6   22  1.5 2.6 0.000003    0.04
Adrastea    Jupiter 21.0    0.298   0   8.2 3   0.0005  0.1
S/2003  Jupiter 2   732.44  57  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
S/2000  Jupiter 4   284.3   44  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Thyone  Jupiter 4   615 62  2   2.6 0.000006    0.04
Pasiphae    Jupiter 36  735 39  30  2.6 0.02    0.04
Eurydome    Jupiter 3   713 19  1.5 2.6 0.000003    0.04
Themisto    Jupiter 8   130.07  61  4   2.6 0.000046    0.04
Orthosie    Jupiter 2   617 38  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Hermippe    Jupiter 4   630 24  2   2.6 0.000006    0.04
Cyllene Jupiter 2   737.8   12  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Autonoe Jupiter 4   753 6   2   2.6 0.000006    0.04
Thelxinoe   Jupiter 2   628.09  60  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Europa  Jupiter 3126    3.551   18  1560.8  3.013   3202.739    0.67
Kore    Jupiter 2   779.2   32  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Helike  Jupiter 4   233.8   23  2   2.6 0.000006    0.04
Sinope  Jupiter 28  758 42  19  2.6 0.005   0.04
Sponde  Jupiter 2   732 43  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Carme   Jupiter 30  692 8   23  2.6 0.0088  0.04
Himalia Jupiter 170 250.57  25  85  2.6 0.45    0.04
Praxidike   Jupiter 6.8 632 41  3.4 2.6 0.000029    0.04
Chaldene    Jupiter 3.8 741 11  1.9 2.6 0.000005    0.04
Metis   Jupiter 40  0.295   36  21.5    3   0.008   0.061
Arche   Jupiter 3   715.6   5   1.5 2.6 0.000003    0.04
Amalthea    Jupiter 198.0   0.498   2   83.45   0.849   0.138   0.090
Eukelade    Jupiter 4   746.4   16  2   2.6 0.000006    0.04
Leda    Jupiter 10  238.72  33  10  2.6 0.00073 0.04
Taygete Jupiter 5   687 58  2.5 2.6 0.000011    0.04
Elara   Jupiter 80  259.65  13  43  2.6 0.058   0.04
Thebe   Jupiter 100 0.675   59  49.3    3   0.1 0.047
Ananke  Jupiter 20  631 3   14  2.6 0.002   0.04
Mneme   Jupiter 2   620.04  37  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Carpo   Jupiter 3   456.5   10  1.5 2.6 0.000003    0.04
Iocaste Jupiter 5.2 657 27  2.6 2.6 0.000013    0.04
Lysithea    Jupiter 24  259.22  34  18  2.6 0.0042  0.04
Kale    Jupiter 2   609 29  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Harpalyke   Jupiter 4.3 595 21  2.2 2.6 0.000008    0.04
Ganymede    Jupiter 5276    7.155   20  2631.2  1.942   9887.834    0.43
Aitne   Jupiter 3   736 1   1.5 2.6 0.000003    0.04
Euporie Jupiter 2   534 17  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Callisto    Jupiter 4800    16.689  7   2410.3  1.834   7179.289    0.17
Pasithee    Jupiter 2   715 40  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Aoede   Jupiter 4   748.8   4   2   2.6 0.000006    0.04
Io  Jupiter 3629    1.769   26  1821.6  3.528   5959.916    0.63
Kalyke  Jupiter 5.2 760 31  2.6 2.6 0.000013    0.04
Kallichore  Jupiter 2   683 30  1   2.6 0.000001    0.04
Callirrhoe  Jupiter 10  774 9   4.3 2.6 0.000058    0.04
Erinome Jupiter 3.2 672 14  1.6 2.6 0.000003    0.04
Euanthe Jupiter 3   622 15  1.5 2.6 0.000003    0.04
S/2006  Saturn  6   1142    50  2.5 2.3 0   0.04
Narvi   Saturn  8   956.2   31  3.5 2.3 0.000023    0.04
Suttungr    Saturn  7   1016.8  44  3.5 2.3 0.000014    0.06
Titan   Saturn  5150    15.945  58  2574.73 1.882   8978.1382   0.2
Siarnaq Saturn  45  893.07  40  20  2.3 0.0026  0.06
Pandora Saturn  86.0    0.629   35  40.7    0.490   0.00924 0.5
S/2007  Saturn  5   1100    52  2   2.3 0   0.04
Mundilfari  Saturn  7   951.38  30  3.5 2.3 0.000014    0.06
Bergelmir   Saturn  6   1005.90 5   3   2.3 0   0.04
Epimetheus  Saturn  124.0   0.694   11  58.1    0.640   0.0351  0.73
S/2004  Saturn  4   986 48  2   2.3 0   0.04
Methone Saturn  3   1.01    28  1.6 0.5 0.0000006   ?
Tarvos  Saturn  16  925.7   54  7.5 2.3 0.00018 0.06
Atlas   Saturn  32.0    0.602   3   15.1    0.460   0.00044 0.4
Skoll   Saturn  6   878.3   42  3   2.3 0   0.04
Pan Saturn  19.32   0.575   34  14.1    0.420   0.00033 0.5
Kiviuq  Saturn  17  449.22  26  8   2.3 0.00022 0.06
Loge    Saturn  6   1312.00 27  3   2.3 0   0.04
Ijiraq  Saturn  14  451.48  22  6   2.3 0.00008 0.06
Bebhionn    Saturn  6   834.8   4   3   2.3 0   0.04
Fornjot Saturn  6   1490.90 15  3   2.3 0   0.04
Polydeuces  Saturn  4   2.74    37  1.3 0.5 0.0000003   ?
Prometheus  Saturn  108.0   0.613   38  43.1    0.480   0.01074 0.6
Anthe   Saturn  1   1.04    2   0.9 0.5 0.0000001   ?
Farbauti    Saturn  5   1086.10 13  2.5 2.3 0   0.04
Tarqeq  Saturn  7   887.5   53  3   2.3 0   0.04
Greip   Saturn  6   921.2   16  3   2.3 0   0.04
Helene  Saturn  32.0    2.737   18  17.6    0.5 0.00076 1.67
Calypso Saturn  23.0    1.888   7   10.7    0.5 0.00017 1.34
Fenrir  Saturn  4   1260.30 14  2   2.3 0   0.04
Pallene Saturn  4   1.14    33  2.5 0.5 0.0000022   ?
Thrymr  Saturn  7   1088.89 57  3.5 2.3 0.000014    0.06
Paaliaq Saturn  25  686.92  32  11  2.3 0.00055 0.06
Rhea    Saturn  1528    4.518   39  764.30  1.233   153.9426    0.949
Ymir    Saturn  20  1312.37 59  9   2.3 0.00033 0.06
Janus   Saturn  172.0   0.695   23  89.5    0.630   0.1263  0.71
Phoebe  Saturn  220 550.48  36  106.50  1.638   0.5532  0.081
Jarnsaxa    Saturn  6   964.7   24  3   2.3 0   0.04
Enceladus   Saturn  498 1.37    10  252.10  1.608   7.2027  1.375
Hyperion    Saturn  293.0   21.277  19  135.00  0.544   0.3727  0.3
Skathi  Saturn  8   728.93  41  4   2.3 0.000021    0.06
Telesto Saturn  23.0    1.888   55  12.4    0.5 0.00027 1
Bestla  Saturn  7   1083.60 6   3.5 2.3 0   0.04
Daphnis Saturn  7   0.594   8   3.8 0.340   0.0000052   ?
Dione   Saturn  1120    2.737   9   561.70  1.476   73.1146 0.998
Tethys  Saturn  1060    1.888   56  533.00  0.973   41.2067 1.229
Surtur  Saturn  6   1297.70 43  3   2.3 0   0.04
Hati    Saturn  6   1038.70 17  3   2.3 0   0.04
Aegir   Saturn  6   1116.50 0   3   2.3 0   0.04
Albiorix    Saturn  30  783 1   16  2.3 0.0014  0.06
Kari    Saturn  7   1233.60 25  3   2.3 0   0.04
Mimas   Saturn  398 0.942   29  198.20  1.150   2.5026  0.962
Iapetus Saturn  1436    79.3215 21  735.60  1.083   120.5038    0.6
Ariel   Uranus  1160    2.52    0   578.9   1.592   86.4    0.39
Caliban Uranus  80  579.5   3   36  1.5 0.02    0.04
Cupid   Uranus  12  0.618   6   9   1.3 0.0002  0.070
Ferdinand   Uranus  21  2823.40 8   10  1.5 0.00042 0.04
Oberon  Uranus  1526    13.463  14  761.4   1.559   192.4   0.23
Cressida    Uranus  62  0.464   5   41  1.3 0.0229  0.069
Portia  Uranus  108 0.513   17  70  1.3 0.1122  0.069
Francisco   Uranus  22  266.6   9   11  1.5 0.00056 0.04
Ophelia Uranus  30.4    0.3764  15  21.4    1.3 0.0036  0.07
Bianca  Uranus  42  0.433   2   27  1.3 0.0062  0.065
Margaret    Uranus  11  1694.80 12  10  1.5 0.00042 0.04
Rosalind    Uranus  54  0.558   20  36  1.3 0.017   0.072
Mab Uranus  16  0.923   11  12  1.3 0.0006  0.103
Stephano    Uranus  32  677.4   22  16  1.5 0.0017  0.04
Belinda Uranus  66  0.624   1   45  1.3 0.0238  0.067
Miranda Uranus  472 1.414   13  235.8   1.214   4.4 0.32
Sycorax Uranus  160 1283.39 23  75  1.5 0.18    0.04
Prospero    Uranus  30  5.346   18  25  1.5 0.0066  0.04
Setebos Uranus  47  2234.80 21  24  1.5 0.0058  0.04
Cordelia    Uranus  26  0.335   4   20.1    1.3 0.003   0.07
Titania Uranus  1578    8.706   24  788.9   1.662   228.2   0.27
Perdita Uranus  20  0.638   16  13  1.3 0.0012  0.070
Trinculo    Uranus  10  759 25  9   1.5 0.00031 0.04
Puck    Uranus  154 0.762   19  81  1.3 0.1931  0.104
Umbriel Uranus  1190    4.144   26  584.7   1.459   81.5    0.21
Desdemona   Uranus  54  0.474   7   35  1.3 0.0119  0.084
Juliet  Uranus  84  0.493   10  53  1.3 0.0372  0.075
Triton  Neptune 2705    5.877   12  1353.4  2.059   1427.6  0.719
Nereid  Neptune 340 360.16  6   170.    1.5 2.06    0.155
Thalassa    Neptune 90  0.31    11  41. 1.3 0.025   0.091
Sao Neptune 38  2925.60 10  22  1.5 0.0045  0.04
Halimede    Neptune 60  1874.83 2   31  1.5 0.012   0.04
Laomedeia   Neptune 38  2980.40 4   21  1.5 0.0039  0.04
Naiad   Neptune 50  0.3 5   33. 1.3 0.013   0.072
Psamathe    Neptune 38  9136.11 9   20  1.5 0.0033  0.04
Despina Neptune 160 0.4 0   75. 1.3 0.14    0.09
Proteus Neptune 420 1.12    8   210.    1.3 3.36    0.096
Galatea Neptune 140 0.33    1   88. 1.3 0.25    0.079
Neso    Neptune 60  9007.10 7   30  1.5 0.011   0.04
Larissa Neptune 200 0.56    3   97. 1.3 0.33    0.091
Charon  Pluto   1207    6.387   0   603.6   1.664   102.3   0.372
Nix Pluto   87.0    24.856  1   23.0    2.1 0.0013  0.35
Hydra   Pluto   87.0    38.206  2   30.5    0.8 0.0065  0.35