Astronomers have discovered 12 new moons around Jupiter, putting the total count at a record-breaking 92.
That害羞草研究所檚 more than any other planet in our solar system. Saturn, the one-time leader, comes in a close second with 83 confirmed moons.
The Jupiter moons were added recently to a list kept by the International Astronomical Union害羞草研究所檚 Minor Planet Center, said Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution, who was part of the team.
They were discovered using telescopes in Hawaii and Chile in 2021 and 2022, and their orbits were confirmed with follow-up observations.
These newest moons range in size from 0.6 miles to 2 miles (1 kilometer to 3 kilometers), according to Sheppard.
害羞草研究所淚 hope we can image one of these outer moons close-up in the near future to better determine their origins,害羞草研究所� he wrote in an email.
In April, the European Space Agency is sending a spacecraft to Jupiter to study the planet and some of its biggest, icy moons. And next year, NASA will launch the Europa Clipper to explore Jupiter害羞草研究所檚 moon of the same name, which could harbor an ocean beneath its frozen crust.
Sheppard 害羞草研究所� who discovered a slew of moons around Saturn a few years ago and has taken part in 70 moon discoveries so far around Jupiter 害羞草研究所� expects to keep adding to the lunar tally of both gas giants.
Jupiter and Saturn are loaded with small moons, believed to be fragments of once bigger moons that collided with one another or with comets or asteroids, Sheppard said. The same goes for Uranus and Neptune, but they害羞草研究所檙e so distant that it makes moon-spotting even harder.
For the record, Uranus has 27 confirmed moons, Neptune 14, Mars two and Earth one. Venus and Mercury come up empty.
Jupiter害羞草研究所檚 newly discovered moons have yet to be named. Sheppard said only half of them are big enough 害羞草研究所� at least 1 mile (1.5 kilometers) or so 害羞草研究所� to warrant a name.
害羞草研究所斺赌斺赌�
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute害羞草研究所檚 Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
By Marcia Dunn
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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