Back in February, astronomers announced Jupiter had 12 more moons than previously believed, giving it the lead over Saturn with the most moons in the solar system. And it seems the title has changed hands again, with astronomers discovering 62 moons surrounding Saturn. That brings Saturn’s moon count to a total of 145 moons — over 50 more than Jupiter’s 92.
Jupiter is the largest planet orbiting our sun, so it made sense that it would also have the most moons orbiting it, too. Saturn, despite being strange and mysterious, has continued to do well in its ongoing battle to determine who owns the most moons.
Ofcourse, the latest Saturn moon count has yet to be confirmed. However, if all the additional satellites that were discovered are verified and accepted, it will bring Saturn’s count up to 145, a far cry above Jupiter’s current 92 moons. Both planets have an insane amount of moons, though, more than any other planets in our solar system – or that we’ve discovered in the universe so far.
These new moons that scientists have discovered differ greatly from the lunar satellite we know from our night skies. While they may bring Saturn’s moon count up, they aren’t known for being luminous balls, these new moons are more like pieces of rubble or potatoes floating through space around the planets, according to The New York Times. It’s not unlike the small moons that orbit Mars and other planets.
The moons are believed to be remnants of old planets or cosmic objects that collided with other objects, the rubble and debris becoming locked in orbit around Saturn. Scientists believe that the moon of our planet shares a similar history, although they haven’t pinpointed the exact origin. Still, discovering additions to Saturn’s moon count is exciting.
It reveals just how many secrets our solar system has yet to uncover and may help scientists who are calling for further planetary exploration outside of our system to gain more support. Further, these additional moons continue to add more fuel to the arguments of what exactly constitutes a moon, a question that we will no doubt see astronomers coming to grips with over the next several years.
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