Saturn, the ringed planet, has officially been confirmed to have a total of 274 moons. This number was revealed on March 11 after a team of astronomers discovered 128 new moons in 2023 using the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). The discovery brings Saturn’s moon count nearly double its previous estimate of 146 moons.
The newly discovered moons are mostly irregular and tiny, measuring only a few miles across. However, they have proven orbits around Saturn, making them eligible for official recognition as moons. Dr. Brett Gladman from the University of British Columbia described the moons as “a few kilometers in size” that were likely formed after violent collisions broke apart smaller moons.
This is not the team’s first discovery of new moons for Saturn. Between 2019 and 2021, they added 62 more moons to Saturn’s count using CFHT observations. The team revisited the same sky fields three consecutive months in 2023, resulting in the 128 new discoveries.
The detection of these new moons demonstrates the importance of advancements in technology, particularly with massive telescopes like CFHT. However, lead researcher Dr. Edward Ashton notes that current technology may be limited for further discoveries, suggesting that Saturn’s moon count might be nearing its maximum.
Source: https://www.space.com/the-universe/saturn/saturn-officially-has-128-more-moons