This Planet Becomes The Undisputed ‘Moon King’ Of Solar System; 128 New Moons Discovered

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery by identifying 128 new moons orbiting Saturn. This incredible finding increases Saturn’s total number of moons to 274, making it the planet with the most moons in our Solar System. The discovery was officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and was made by a team led by Edward Ashton at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. Scientists believe this discovery will help us understand more about the evolution of the planets in our Solar System.

Saturn Overtakes Jupiter in Moon Count

With the latest discovery, Saturn has surpassed Jupiter, which currently has 95 known moons. Uranus and Neptune, the other two gas giants, have 28 and 16 moons, respectively. This means Saturn has nearly three times as many moons as Jupiter.

Edward Ashton, the lead researcher of the discovery, said, “Sure enough, we found 128 new moons. Based on our projections, I don’t think Jupiter will ever catch up.”

How Are These Moons Different from Earth’s Moon?

Unlike Earth’s large Moon, which is about 3,475 kilometers wide, these newly discovered moons are tiny in comparison. They are just a few kilometers in size and have chaotic orbits, meaning they move unpredictably around Saturn. Some of these small moons even orbit in the opposite direction compared to Saturn’s major moons like Titan and Rhea.

Mr. Ashton also commented on the classification of moons, saying, “I don’t think there’s a proper definition for what is classed as a moon. There should be. With current technology, I don’t think we can do much better than what has already been done for moons around Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.”

How Were the New Moons Discovered?

The team of astronomers used a method called image stacking to make this discovery. They collected images from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and carefully analyzed them to identify the new moons. Over time, these moons will be given official names based on mythological figures from Gallic, Norse, and Canadian Inuit legends, following the naming tradition for Saturn’s moons.

Confirming Earlier Observations

While this is a groundbreaking discovery, Scott Sheppard, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science, had already hinted at the presence of these moons between 2004 and 2007. Using the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope in Hawaii, he observed faint light signals from what were suspected to be small moons orbiting Saturn.

However, at that time, these objects could not be officially confirmed as moons since their orbits could not be tracked properly. Thanks to advanced technology and modern techniques, Edward Ashton and his team were able to confirm these moons and make their official discovery.

Why Does Saturn Have So Many Moons?

Scientists believe that Saturn’s large number of moons may be due to the composition of objects orbiting it. According to Scott Sheppard, Saturn is farther from the Sun than Jupiter, meaning it has likely captured more icy objects that could break apart more easily than the rocky objects around Jupiter. This could explain why Saturn has so many small moons compared to its giant neighbor.

The discovery of 128 new moons is a major milestone in space research. Scientists will now be able to study these small celestial bodies to learn more about the formation and evolution of the Solar System. With Saturn now holding the record for the most moons, it remains one of the most fascinating planets for astronomers to explore.