The planet Saturn has regained its status as the planet with the most moons in our solar system.
The number of moons in the ringed planet increased greatly in May 2023 when a team led by a postdoctoral fellow, Edward Ashton of Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics discovered, not a few but 62 new moons.
Before this recent discovery that helped it regain the crown from fellow giant planet Jupiter, Saturn was thought to have 83 moons as recognized by the International Astronomical Union this new haul makes the total known count an incredible 145!
But wait, this discovery also wins Saturn another medal; the gas giant has also become the first known planet to be orbited by more than 100 moons.
Saturn’s many moons are very different their composition, ranging from icy giants with subsurface oceans to small, heavily cratered rocky satellites. The largest satellite Titan, is bigger than the planet Mercury, while the smallest is the size of a sports arena, according to NASA. Titan, Rhea, Tethys, Dione, Enceladus, Iapetus and Mimas; seven of the moons are so bright they you can see them from the earth with a telescope.
Sources:
