Jupiter Defeats Saturn as the Planet with the Most Moons

VIVA – Jupiter now becoming the largest in the solar system because scientists have discovered 12 more small moons belonging to Jupiter, bringing its total number of natural satellites to a whopping 92. Therefore, Jupiter has defeated Saturn.

Over the last two years, astronomer Scott Sheppard from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC, reported observations of the system, revealing a dozen new moons.

The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center has quietly been publishing the orbits of the new, unnamed moons in recent weeks, confirming their existence. The discovery makes Jupiter the planet with the most moons, a title that was previously held by Saturn with 83 known moons.

Jupiter's new moons may be too small to name and take more than 340 days to orbit, according to Sky and Telescope.

It's also possible that the gas giant has more moons orbiting it, which scientists haven't spotted yet. This is because the glare from the large planet can make it very difficult to see small objects.

It was only last year they were able to get a close-up look at Jupiter's icy moon Europa, which has been icy for more than 20 years, thanks to NASA's Juno spacecraft. Europa, which is close in size to Earth's moon, is thought to have oceans flowing beneath its thick frozen crust, raising the possibility of underwater life.

Scientists hope to get lucky and observe possible water plumes shooting from the surface of Europa, once the data is processed. The latest observations will help Nasa plan for its Europa Clipper mission, due to launch in 2024.