Do moons always get more attention than the gas giant planets they orbit?

[Simfish]

It certainly seems like it. People are far more excited about Titan than they are about Saturn. And the same is true for several other Saturnian moons.

Same with Jupiter and its 4 biggest moons. People seem to care more about its 4 moons than Jupiter itself.

I'm no exception. But certainly, I sometimes wonder why. It's not just the prospect of life. The moons just seem more exciting for some reason. Strength in numbers is one thing.

 

[Nabeshin]

It's because moons are terrestrial bodies, and traditionally what we think of when we think "worlds". Possibilities of a base on a Jovian planet? Nil. It doesn't exactly inspire much in most people. It doesn't even have a surface. Whereas the moons are well defined terrestrial bodies which we can imagine colonizing and settling. That's why they get much more attention in the mainstream press than do their Jovian masters: they're simply more familiar.

 

[Radrook]

It's because moons are terrestrial bodies, and traditionally what we think of when we think "worlds". Possibilities of a base on a Jovian planet? Nil. It doesn't exactly inspire much in most people. It doesn't even have a surface. Whereas the moons are well defined terrestrial bodies which we can imagine colonizing and settling. That's why they get much more attention in the mainstream press than do their Jovian masters: they're simply more familiar.

I agree 100% Those photos from Titan were awe inspiring. So terrestrial, in fact, that if shown without explanatory captions they'd be taken for scenes on earth. Apparent shorelines with what appear to be river tributaries, mountain ranges, peaks, methane lakes, sufficeient atmospheric pressure to make spacesuite compression unnecessary. You name it and Titan has it. Then we have IO with its volcanically active surface and the ice covered moons with their tantalizing subsurface hidden seas and possible life.


In contrast the gas giants are merely inhospitable, roiling atmospheres covering an inaccessible surface under unimaginable pressures.

 

[Pengwuino]

The pressures on gas giants are so great, life can't survive. Hell, does anyone have the information on how deep probes get when they fall into the atmosphere before they're crushed by the pressure? They're basically stars that can't ignite in some cases.

 

[Kracatoan]

The pressures on gas giants are so great, life can't survive. Hell, does anyone have the information on how deep probes get when they fall into the atmosphere before they're crushed by the pressure? They're basically stars that can't ignite in some cases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_( spacecraft )#Galileo.27s_atmospheric_entry_probe" This is the best data we've got about this sort of thing, the specifics are a bit vague however. So, although the signal stopped after going down 140km, it is thought that the actual body of the probe survived for much longer.

 

[ibysaiyan]

It certainly seems like it. People are far more excited about Titan than they are about Saturn. And the same is true for several other Saturnian moons.

Same with Jupiter and its 4 biggest moons. People seem to care more about its 4 moons than Jupiter itself.

I'm no exception. But certainly, I sometimes wonder why. It's not just the prospect of life. The moons just seem more exciting for some reason. Strength in numbers is one thing.

Quite simple really.Of the above mentioned planets,they both happen to be gas giants and hence don't share the typical "ideal Earth like planet look" so these get neglected.

 

[Nik_2213]

IMHO, the only way you could 'reside' on a Jovian is riding a balloon.

IIRC, though I am unable to confirm, there may be a depth-zone in Saturn's atmosphere where the temperature is 'temperate'. The pressure is probably elevated to several Bar, but no more than scuba gear could handle...