After a long struggle, astronomers are now confident that they’ve hit the nail on the head when it comes to how many moons revolve around Saturn. The gas giant has more moons than Jupiter, which is surprising, giving the fact that the latter is significantly larger in size.
Surely a planet from our own Solar System having dozens of natural satellites revolving around it might give us the creeps considering that our beloved Earth has only one Moon. But guess what? That’s part of the beauty of astronomy!
Saturn might have 145 moons.
According to Mashable.com, astronomers have discovered 62 more moons revolving around Saturn. This means that the gas giant has 145 moons, which means that its ‘rival,’ Jupiter, has fallen behind. However, the discovery still needs confirmation from the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center so we can say for sure that the astronomers are right with the new numbers.
To come to the new conclusion, astronomers used a detection technique that involved stacking photos, which allowed the capturing of more details in a single frame.
Edward Ashton, the scientist who’s responsible for initiating the new study, explained:
Tracking these moons makes me recall playing the kid’s game Dot-to-Dot,
But with about 100 different games on the same page and you don’t know which dot belongs to which puzzle.
Before you decide to hit the sack after a long day at work, it’s best to take a look once again after the long array of Saturn’s moons if you’re passionate about astronomy. The biggest natural satellites of the iconic gas giant are Titan, Rhea, Iapetus, Enceladus, etc.
Hang in there, Jupiter, and don’t lose hope! Perhaps astronomers will provide an update soon regarding your number of moons, so you won’t become dethroned by Saturn!
Tommy’s hobby has always been playing video games. He enjoys competing in video games tournaments and writing about his experience. It’s not a big surprise that he mostly covers the latest trends from the gaming industry.