Fact Check: Saturns biggest moon is bigger than earth

Fact Check: "Saturn's biggest moon is bigger than Earth"

What We Know

The claim that "Saturn's biggest moon is bigger than Earth" refers to Titan, which is indeed the largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest moon in the Solar System, after Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. Titan has a diameter of approximately 5,150 kilometers (about 3,200 miles) (NASA, Wikipedia). In contrast, Earth has a diameter of about 12,742 kilometers (approximately 7,918 miles) (WorldAtlas). This means that Titan's size is significantly smaller than that of Earth, being roughly 40% of Earth's diameter.

Additionally, Titan is larger than Earth's moon, which has a diameter of about 3,474 kilometers (approximately 2,159 miles) (NASA, Wikipedia). Titan is also more massive than the Moon, but it is still only about 40% as massive as Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system (Wikipedia).

Analysis

The claim that Titan is bigger than Earth is factually incorrect. While Titan is indeed a large moon, its dimensions are considerably smaller than those of Earth. The comparison of Titan's size to Earth is misleading, as Titan's diameter is less than half that of Earth.

The sources used to verify this claim are credible and provide consistent information. For example, NASA's official site states that Titan has a radius of about 1,600 miles (2,575 kilometers) and is nearly 50% wider than Earth's moon, but it does not compare Titan's size favorably against Earth (NASA). Wikipedia corroborates this by stating that Titan is the second-largest moon in the Solar System, but again emphasizes that it is significantly smaller than Earth (Wikipedia).

Other sources, such as WorldAtlas and Space.com, also confirm that Titan's dimensions are much smaller than Earth's, further supporting the conclusion that the claim is false (WorldAtlas, Space.com).

Conclusion

Verdict: False

The claim that "Saturn's biggest moon is bigger than Earth" is false. Titan, while being the largest moon of Saturn and the second-largest in the Solar System, is significantly smaller than Earth, with a diameter that is only about 40% of Earth's. The consistent data from multiple credible sources confirms this assessment.