Saturn has gained 128 new moons, bringing its total to 274 moons, according to astronomers. The tiny objects are thought to have formed relatively recently in the solar system’s history.
Astronomers discovered more than 100 new moons around Saturn, possibly resulting from cosmic collisions that left debris in the planet’s orbit as far back as 100 million years ago. These smaller moons are rocks just a few miles across, but they’re still considered moons as long as they have trackable orbits around their parent body.
The International Astronomical Union has ratified the 128 new moons, and their naming scheme is based on characters from Norse mythology. The lead author of the paper announcing the discovery will have naming rights for the objects.
Many of these moons are irregular in shape and orbit at a highly angled slope relative to Saturn’s equator. They’re difficult to study due to their small size, but may be observable with future telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope.
The discovery suggests multiple dramatic collisions in space and hints at chaotic activity in the outer solar system. The existence of these moons could provide insight into the solar system’s history and potentially reveal more about other distant worlds.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/science/saturn-new-moons.html