Solar system|The ring planet Saturn is circulated by 274 well -known moons. It is almost as much as the other planets in our solar system have a total of muts.
The abstract is made by artificial intelligence and checked by man.
Astronomers have found 128 new small moon around Saturn.
Saturn now has a total of 274 well -known moonlights, almost as much as other planets in the solar system have total moonlights.
The discoveries were confirmed by the Canada France Hawaii telescope Mauna Kean Mountain Hawaii.
The new moon are small and irregular, probably the remnants of larger moon collisions.
Astronomers have found 128 new moonlights around Saturn.
The discoveries strengthen Saturn’s position as our solar system “king of mine”. Already 274 natural satellites have been found in the orbit of the gas giant.
This is how Saturn has stretched the front distance to the other moon, Jupiter. It has “only” 95 confirmed moon.
International The Astronomical Association (IAU) confirmed the discovery last week.
Researchers reported their observations on 10 March In the Arxiv Public Service. The research has not yet been peer -reviewed.
“Our long -lasting search again found several lines around Saturn,” said In his statement Edward Ashton. He is an astronomer in Taiwanese Academia at the Sinica Institute.
The months found are located in a group of moons where the moon circles Saturn in the opposite direction of the planet’s rotation.
All Findings now found are considered irregular lumps.
This means that they are only a few kilometers of diameter, and not nearly spherical, Tells Live Science Online Service.
These small moon are parts larger than the fingers. They were born when much bigger moon collided with each other.
Another possibility for the birth of a small moon is that the comet has once hit the moon or the moon of its comet and the moon has been destroyed by fragments.
Six found Canada France Hawaii -teleskoopilla (CFHT). As the name reveals, it is located on Hawaii, Mauna Kean Mountain.
The same group of astronomers and telescope ran into Saturn’s nearby in 2019-2021. At one time, 62 new moon was found.
Even then, astronomers received indications that Saturn is circulating in countless small natural satellites. At that time, the observations could not be confirmed.
“We knew we had found more fittings. That’s why we watched the same areas in 2023 in three consecutive months,” Ashton said.
According to Ashton, all the diameter of the shots found is up to 2-4 kilometers, says the Science Magazine
New Scientist.
Ashton does not believe that nowadays equipment and techniques can no longer find many new covers. If found, they are ever smaller.
“I don’t think Jupiter will ever catch Saturn in the number of moons.”
Whether Discovering small imitations no longer matters?
However, according to Ashton, it is important that astronomers list all the small sites of the solar system.
Sometimes you have to decide how a small piece of planet can be called moon.
Ashton estimates that, for example, Saturn is up to thousands of covers. This is the case, even if we don’t count the stones that make up Saturn’s impressive tires with ice
Planetary researchers have already agreed on the principle that pieces of less than a kilometer of diameter do not get their own name.
But they can still be called the current standards.