2023-05-13 17:58:53
Saturn has just robbed Jupiter of a curious record in our solar system, that of the planet with the greatest number of moons.
Jupiter briefly reigned as the planet in the solar system with the most moons, but scientists have confirmed the discovery of 62 new moons orbiting Saturn, bringing its total to an unprecedented 145 moons.
According to researchers from the university of british columbiathis is a major step up from Jupiter’s confirmed 95 moons, making Saturn the first and only planet in the solar system to have more than 100 known moons.
To do this, they conducted preliminary research using data from the telescope atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii between 2019 and 2021.
They analyzed all images taken during multiple three-hour observation windows, identifying 62 new moons that were previously too small or faint to detect. Some of these small moons are only 2.5 km in diameter.
All moons are irregular
Scientists confirm that the 62 new moons detected are irregular, that is, they follow distant elliptical orbits around their host planet. They suggest they may have originated from a larger mother moon that broke up millions of years ago.
“As we reach the limits of modern telescopes, we’re finding more and more evidence that a mid-sized moon in the back orbit of Saturn broke up about 100 million years ago,” Brett says. Gladman, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of British Columbia.
Researchers expect these new moons to be fully recognized by the end of the month by the International Astronomical Union.
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