Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying 128 new moons orbiting Saturn, securing the planet’s title as the “moon king” of the solar system. With a total of 274 moons, Saturn now holds almost twice as many moons as all other planets combined, leaving Jupiter behind, which has 95 confirmed moons as of February 2024.
The discovery team had previously found 62 moons using the Canada-France-Hawaii telescope. Suspecting more moons were present, they followed up with additional observations in 2023. The newly discovered moons were officially recognised by the International Astronomical Union and, for now, have been assigned alphanumeric names.
These moons were identified using the “shift and stack” method, where astronomers compile multiple images to enhance their brightness and make them detectable. The new moons are all “irregular moons,” which are potato-shaped objects a few kilometres in size, and orbit Saturn in large elliptical paths at an angle to the planet’s other moons.
This discovery raises questions about the definition of a moon, as many of these objects may be fragments of larger moons that collided and broke apart. According to Professor Brett Gladman from the University of British Columbia, these moons are likely the remains of once-captured moons that shattered due to violent collisions with other moons or comets.
The growing number of moons provides valuable insights into the early solar system’s chaotic past, potentially shedding light on the formation of Saturn’s rings, which some scientists believe may have originated from a moon destroyed by the planet’s immense gravity.
