UNITED STATES: Saturn has reclaimed its title as the “King of Moons” in our solar system in a remarkable astronomical discovery. With the detection of 62 new moons, Saturn now boasts a whopping total of 145 natural satellites orbiting around it, surpassing Jupiter’s previous record of 92 moons.
The search for these hidden celestial bodies began in 2019 and involved tracking and observing the objects for several years. The international team of researchers utilized a technique called “shift and stack” to comb through Saturn’s surroundings and unveil these previously unseen moons.
This method, formerly employed in moon searches around Neptune and Uranus, successfully detected the faint signals of these newly discovered moons.
All of the newly found moons belong to the class of irregular moons. Unlike regular moons, they have giant, elliptical, and inclined orbits, indicating that Saturn captured them rather than forming alongside them.
This discovery has more than doubled the number of known irregular moons around Saturn, bringing the count to an impressive 121, with 58 moons already known prior to this search.
Edward Ashton, a postdoctoral fellow at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics and a research team member, compared the process of tracking these moons to playing a game of Dot-to-Dot.
The team had to connect these moons’ appearances in their data with possible orbits, a complex task considering the multitude of moons and the challenge of identifying which dot corresponds to each moon.
To ensure the accuracy of their findings, the researchers meticulously tracked and observed the objects over several years, distinguishing them from potential asteroids that may exist within Saturn’s rings.
Saturn has regained its crown for possessing the most known moons and has become the first planet in our solar system to have over 100 moons. This extraordinary milestone further enhances our understanding of planetary systems’ dynamics and highlights our celestial neighbourhood’s diverse and fascinating nature.
The exploration of Saturn and its moon system continues to captivate astronomers and deepen our knowledge of the wonders of our solar system. With each new discovery, we uncover more about the intricate dance of celestial bodies that grace our cosmic stage.
Also Read: ISRO to Defeat NASA in The Long Run; Will Become Leading Space Agency
