Moon Master: Saturn loses the crown of having the most number of moons to Jupiter

Jupiter has been one of the most fascinating planets for space explorers, astronomers and physicists. Because of its size, Jupiter is often dubbed as the king of the planets. However, one distinction that has alluded Jupter for long, was the planet which had the most number of moons. Up until recently, it was Saturn, its rings and its 83 moons that have fascinated astronomers their ilk. Now, though, Jupiter is back at the centre of everyone’s attention. 

Jupiter is not only the largest and most massive planet in the solar system; it also has the most moons surrounding it, with scientists discovering another 12 moons, bringing the total to 92.

Astronomer Scott S. Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC, announced the findings after observing the planet between 2021 and 2022. The orbits of the new moons have been released by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center (MPC).

Saturn had the largest family of moons before this discovery, with 83 verified natural satellites circling it.

There are many intriguing moons surrounding Jupiter, according to NASA, but the first four moons identified beyond Earth are of the highest scientific importance. These four bodies are known as Galilean Moons: lo, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede.

A dozen new moons have been discovered around Jupiter. These newly found moons are smaller than Jupiter’s other large moons and require over 340 days to orbit the planet. According to the analysis, nine of them have a longer orbital period of 550 days and are among the 71 outermost Jovian moons.

Three of the new Jovian moons orbit in a prograde path, sandwiched between the big Galilean moons and retrograde moons. These, according to Sheppard, are more difficult to locate than distant retrograde moons. “The explanation is because they are closer to Jupiter, and the dispersed light from the planet is immense,” the scientist was cited in the magazine as saying.

Saturn surpassed Jupiter as the planet with the most moons in 2019 when Scott S. Sheppard identified 20 new moons around the ringed planet. The scientist has previously detected 12 new moons around Jupiter, prompting an internet contest to name them.

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