Jupiter becomes planet with most moons

February 7, 2023

Jupiter is the biggest planet in the sun’s family. Scientists believed that Saturn had the maximum number of moons. 82 moons have been discovered around Saturn so far. On the other hand, it was believed that Jupiter had 80 moons. However, the latest discovery revealed Jupiter has 12 more moons. With this, the count of Jupiter’s moons increased to 92. Today Jupiter has the maximum number of moons.

About the new discovery

The 12 new moons around Jupiter were discovered by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
Of the 12 moons discovered, nine are distant
These nine moons take 550 days to orbit Jupiter
Also, the nine moons discovered are relatively small
These nine moons have retrograde orbits. Meaning their orbiting direction is opposite to that of Jupiter’s rotation
The inner moons of Jupiter have prograde orbits. Meaning, they rotate in the same direction as that of Jupiter.

Prograde and Retrograde moons

The prograde moons are closer to the planet and the retrograde moon is away. Prograde moons are always difficult to spot as compared to retrograde moons. This is because the tremendous light scattered from the planet obscures the moons. The newly discovered prograde moons are good targets for future planetary missions. The JUICE mission of the European Space Agency is to be launched in 2024.

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