Jupiter has formally change into the planet with probably the most moons within the photo voltaic system, now counted at 92, because of the invention of 12 extra pure satellites, astronomers have mentioned.

The earlier record-holder, Saturn, has dropped to second spot, being orbited by 83 confirmed moons.

Jupiter’s newly discovered companions have been lately added to an inventory saved by the Worldwide Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Heart, Scott Sheppard of the Washington-based Carnegie Establishment, who took half in monitoring the moons down, advised AP on Friday.

The moons have been noticed with telescopes in Hawaii and Chile in 2021 and 2022, however the scientists wanted to observe their total orbits so as to make the invention official.

These new satellites vary from 1km to 3km (0.6 miles to 2 miles) in diameter, Sheppard mentioned. Solely half of them will probably be named nonetheless, the remainder being beneath the minimal diameter of 1.5km for naming, he added.

Three moons touring in a prograde path – the identical because the planet’s rotation – have been particularly powerful to detect, the scientist mentioned in an earlier interview with the Sky and Telescope web site. “The reason being that they’re nearer to Jupiter and the scattered mild from the planet is super,” he defined.

The big variety of small satellites round each Jupiter and Saturn are believed to be fragments of bigger moons that crashed into one another or collided with comets, in keeping with Sheppard.

“I hope we will picture certainly one of these outer moons close-up within the close to future to raised decide their origins,” he advised AP.

The European House Company is sending a spacecraft to check Jupiter and one its largest moons in April, whereas NASA’s mission to the planet’s Europa satellite tv for pc, which may host an ocean underneath its ice crust, is deliberate for 2024.

Jupiter and Saturn vastly outnumber the remainder of the planets in our system in terms of the variety of pure satellites. Uranus is orbited by 27 confirmed moons, Neptune by 14, Mars two and Earth one. Venus and Mercury haven’t any moons.

You’ll be able to share this story on social media:

Observe RT on