Saturn Becomes Moon Champion Of The Solar System

Jupiter and Saturn have a lot of moons. Many, many moons. Earlier this year, Jupiter edged ahead of Saturn in the official total, with scientists announcing 12 new moons, bringing its total up to 92, compared with 83 for Saturn. But Jupiter didn't hold onto the crown for long, as scientists have now announced 62 new moons around Saturn. This means Saturn now has 145 official moons, making it the first planet to have more than 100. That is a lot of moons. I distinctly remember growing up learning that Saturn only had 18 moons. And I'm not that old. Naturally, Cassini helped boost the total, but most of the new moons were discovered here on Earth. This batch of 62 came from observations out of an observatory in Hawaii.

Naturally, all of these new moons are tiny, irregular rocks, just a few kilometers across. There are no undiscovered Titans lurking around Saturn. And of course, similar observations of Jupiter could reveal just as many similar moons, if not more. Jupiter may end up taking the title of Moon Champion back. But for now, Saturn is very, very far ahead.