With 92 moons surrounding the gas giant, which makes it the largest body in the solar system as a whole, Jupiter is not only the largest and most massive planet in the solar system. The Minor Planet Centre (MPC), run by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, has revealed the orbits of the 12 unidentified moons of Jupiter, as reported in a recent Sky and Telescope article. Jupiter now holds the title of "planet in the solar system with the most moons" thanks to these recent discoveries. 83 moons have been found so far around the ringed gas giant, the second-largest planet in the solar system. Sky and Telescope, on the other hand, reports that astronomers have also discovered tons of rocks with a width of about 2 miles (3 kilometers) near Saturn, but they haven't yet been able to properly track the objects. As soon as technology makes it possible to study these smaller moons, Jupiter might have to give Saturn its new title back. According to Space, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institute for Science in Washington, DC named Scott Sheppard has submitted for publication his observations of the Jovian system made in 2021 and 2022. Astronomers had to follow the pebbles for a full orbit in order to ensure that they were indeed orbiting Jupiter, which is the reason why there was a delay between the new moons' discovery and confirmation. Sky and Telescope says that it takes all of the new moons more than 340 Earth days to circle Jupiter from its surface. Nine out of the twelve new moons are very far away. They have orbits that last more than 550 days. These moons are all small; It is believed that only five of those nine moons have a diameter greater than five miles (8 km). In contrast, the "prograde" orbits of the outer Jovian moons revolve around the gas giant in the same direction as the planet's spin. The gas giant's nine distant moons travel around it in the opposite direction of its rotation because of their retrograde orbits. The new moons' retrograde orbits indicate that Jupiter's strong gravitational pull may have grabbed these moons, with the smaller ones possibly being the remnants of larger objects that collided and split up. Some of the newly discovered moons' prograde orbits suggest that they formed around Jupiter. The large inner moons of Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are referred to as the Galilean moons because Galileo Galilei first discovered them in the early 1600s. Together with 13 other Jovian moons, these prograde orbiting moons are located in a middle area of space.
With 92 moons surrounding the gas giant, which makes it the largest body in the solar system as a whole, Jupiter is not only the largest and most massive planet in the solar system.
The Minor Planet Centre (MPC), run by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, has revealed the orbits of the 12 unidentified moons of Jupiter, as reported in a recent Sky and Telescope article. Jupiter now holds the title of “planet in the solar system with the most moons” thanks to these recent discoveries.
83 moons have been found so far around the ringed gas giant, the second-largest planet in the solar system. Sky and Telescope, on the other hand, reports that astronomers have also discovered tons of rocks with a width of about 2 miles (3 kilometers) near Saturn, but they haven’t yet been able to properly track the objects. As soon as technology makes it possible to study these smaller moons, Jupiter might have to give Saturn its new title back.
According to Space, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institute for Science in Washington, DC named Scott Sheppard has submitted for publication his observations of the Jovian system made in 2021 and 2022. Astronomers had to follow the pebbles for a full orbit in order to ensure that they were indeed orbiting Jupiter, which is the reason why there was a delay between the new moons’ discovery and confirmation.
Sky and Telescope says that it takes all of the new moons more than 340 Earth days to circle Jupiter from its surface. Nine out of the twelve new moons are very far away. They have orbits that last more than 550 days. These moons are all small; It is believed that only five of those nine moons have a diameter greater than five miles (8 km).
In contrast, the “prograde” orbits of the outer Jovian moons revolve around the gas giant in the same direction as the planet’s spin. The gas giant’s nine distant moons travel around it in the opposite direction of its rotation because of their retrograde orbits. The new moons’ retrograde orbits indicate that Jupiter’s strong gravitational pull may have grabbed these moons, with the smaller ones possibly being the remnants of larger objects that collided and split up.
Some of the newly discovered moons’ prograde orbits suggest that they formed around Jupiter. The large inner moons of Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto are referred to as the Galilean moons because Galileo Galilei first discovered them in the early 1600s. Together with 13 other Jovian moons, these prograde orbiting moons are located in a middle area of space.
