Jupiter beats Saturn in moon race with 12 new satellites, total reaches 92

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery beyond Earth’s orbit by discovering 12 new moons around Jupiter. Previously held by Saturn, the gas giant has overtaken Saturn as the planet with the most moons. Jupiter has 92 moons, much more than Saturn’s 83.

Astronomer Scott Sheppard of Washington’s Carnegie Institution for Science made the observations that uncovered the dozen new moons. The Minor Planet Center has secretly released facts and confirmation of the newly discovered moons (MPC).

Minor Planet Center Electronic Circulars regularly announce the finding of new tiny moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

We may now consider the 92 moons of Jupiter to be a miniature solar system in their own right. Already, Jupiter dominated the solar system as the largest planet. Some of the newly found moons have orbits that take over 340 days to complete, which means they are tiny and very far. Nine of the 12 have orbits longer than 550 days, putting them in the group of 71 furthest from Jupiter’s main body.

According to Sky and Telescope, between the huge, inward Galilean moons and the far-out retrograde moons, there are a total of 13 moons that circle in a prograde manner.

The moons’ discovery occurs a year before Nasa plans to launch a mission to Jupiter. It is expected that the Europa Clipper mission will be the first in-depth examination of an extrasolar ocean planet. The probe’s mission is to find out whether this far-off moon is habitable. The mission’s goal is to probe Europa for evidence of human habitation.

Also, READ: NASA warning: Monstrous Pyramid-sized Asteroid to come ‘exceptionally close’ to Earth today

The spacecraft is scheduled to make 45 flybys of Europa, with closest-approach altitudes ranging from 2,700 to 25, 000 kilometres above the surface. The spacecraft is not being launched to Europa in search of life per se, but rather to answer particular concerns regarding the moon’s ocean, ice shell, composition, and geology.

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery beyond Earth’s orbit by discovering 12 new moons around Jupiter. Previously held by Saturn, the gas giant has overtaken Saturn as the planet with the most moons. Jupiter has 92 moons, much more than Saturn’s 83.

Astronomer Scott Sheppard of Washington’s Carnegie Institution for Science made the observations that uncovered the dozen new moons. The Minor Planet Center has secretly released facts and confirmation of the newly discovered moons (MPC).

Minor Planet Center Electronic Circulars regularly announce the finding of new tiny moons of Jupiter and Saturn.

We may now consider the 92 moons of Jupiter to be a miniature solar system in their own right. Already, Jupiter dominated the solar system as the largest planet. Some of the newly found moons have orbits that take over 340 days to complete, which means they are tiny and very far. Nine of the 12 have orbits longer than 550 days, putting them in the group of 71 furthest from Jupiter’s main body.

According to Sky and Telescope, between the huge, inward Galilean moons and the far-out retrograde moons, there are a total of 13 moons that circle in a prograde manner.

The moons’ discovery occurs a year before Nasa plans to launch a mission to Jupiter. It is expected that the Europa Clipper mission will be the first in-depth examination of an extrasolar ocean planet. The probe’s mission is to find out whether this far-off moon is habitable. The mission’s goal is to probe Europa for evidence of human habitation.

Also, READ: NASA warning: Monstrous Pyramid-sized Asteroid to come ‘exceptionally close’ to Earth today

The spacecraft is scheduled to make 45 flybys of Europa, with closest-approach altitudes ranging from 2,700 to 25, 000 kilometres above the surface. The spacecraft is not being launched to Europa in search of life per se, but rather to answer particular concerns regarding the moon’s ocean, ice shell, composition, and geology.