Saturn has officially solidified its title as “moon king” after discovering 128 new moons orbiting the gas giant, bringing its total to a staggering 274 satellites. This record-breaking statistic surpasses that of its closest competitor, Jupiter, which boasts just 95 confirmed moons.
The discovery was made by an international team of astronomers using the Canada France Hawaii Telescope and confirms Saturn’s reign as the solar system’s moon king. The research team initially detected 62 new moons in 2019-2021 but needed to revisit the same sky fields for three months in 2023 to confirm their identities.
According to Edward Ashton, lead researcher behind the discovery, Jupiter will likely never catch up to Saturn’s impressive moon tally. “Based on our projections, I don’t think Jupiter will ever catch up,” he said. The new moons are classified as irregular, meaning they’re tiny fragments of larger moons that broke apart due to violent collisions.
The team’s findings provide valuable insights into the evolution of Saturn’s irregular natural satellite population. With existing technology likely reaching its limit in detecting new moons around distant planets, Saturn will continue to hold onto its crown as the solar system’s moon king.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/saturn-secures-its-title-as-the-moon-king-with-major-haul-of-new-moons-2000575070