The solar system’s two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, have added to their already impressive collections of moons. On March 16, 2026, the Minor Planet Center announced the discovery of 11 recent moons orbiting Saturn, bringing the planet’s total to a staggering 285. Simultaneously, four new moons were confirmed around Jupiter, pushing its count to 101. This latest discovery highlights the ongoing efforts to map the outer reaches of our solar system and reveals the surprising number of small, distant objects still awaiting detection.
The newly discovered moons are relatively small, averaging around 2 miles (3 km) in diameter. Their faintness and distant orbits have made them tough to spot until recently. Astronomers classify these objects by their magnitude, a measure of brightness; these new moons range from magnitudes +25 to +27, making them extraordinarily dim compared to brighter celestial bodies like the sun (-26) or Venus (-4). The vast distances these moons travel from their respective planets also contribute to the challenges of tracking them.
Saturn’s moons are particularly spread out, spanning a region of space roughly five times the diameter of Earth as viewed from our planet. So that, to the observer, Saturn appears to be surrounded by a vast entourage of satellites extending far beyond its iconic rings. The discovery builds on previous findings; just last March, the Minor Planet Center announced the addition of 128 moons to Saturn’s family, demonstrating the accelerating pace of discovery.
These discoveries weren’t made overnight. Astronomers combined observations from the past with new data, searching for objects that moved against the backdrop of stars. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which came online in June 2025, has significantly accelerated this process. The observatory issues approximately 800,000 alerts each night, flagging changes in the sky, including the movement of these faint moons. On February 24 alone, Rubin issued 800,000 alerts, according to the Minor Planet Center.
Naming the New Discoveries
While Jupiter and Saturn boast a large number of moons, only the largest and brightest have received proper names, such as Ganymede and Titan. The vast majority of these smaller, more distant satellites are designated by a combination of letters and numbers. Currently, only 64 of Saturn’s 285 moons have official names. The International Astronomical Union’s Committee for Planetary System Nomenclature dictates that a moon must be of “special scientific interest” and have an absolute magnitude brighter than 16.5 to qualify for a proper name. Given the new discoveries’ magnitudes of 25 to 27, they will remain designated by their alphanumeric identifiers for the time being.
The newly designated moons are:
- Jupiter: S/2011 J 4, S/2011 J 5, S/2018 J 5, S/2024 J 1
- Saturn: S/2020 S 45, S/2020 S 46, S/2020 S 47, S/2020 S 48, S/2023 S 51, S/2023 S 52, S/2023 S 53, S/2023 S 54, S/2023 S 55, S/2023 S 56, S/2023 S 57
For now, Saturn maintains a significant lead over Jupiter in the moon count, solidifying its title as the “Moon King” of our solar system. As technology continues to advance, astronomers anticipate discovering even more of these small, distant satellites orbiting the gas giants.
The ongoing exploration of Jupiter and Saturn’s moon systems promises to reveal more about the formation and evolution of our solar system. Future observations and analysis of these newly discovered moons will undoubtedly provide valuable insights into the conditions that existed during the early stages of planetary development. The search for these elusive satellites is a testament to the ingenuity and dedication of astronomers worldwide.
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