Saturn Takes Over Jupiter As 'Planet With Most Moons', Count Reaches 145

Planet Saturn has taken over Jupiter to reclaim its title of having highest number of moons. According to astronomers, a new study have unveiled 62 new moons orbiting the ringed planet, bringing Saturn's official count of natural satellites to a grand total of 145. While, moons count still stands at 95.

According to a report by The Guardian, the newly discovered moons of Saturn have currently been designated with numbers and letters. In due course, these moons will be bestowed with names inspired by Gallic, Norse, and Canadian Inuit gods, following the established convention for Saturn's moons.

“Saturn not only has nearly doubled its number of moons, it now has more moons than all the rest of the planets in the solar system combined,” an astronomer at the University of British Columbia was quoted as saying. He mentioned that their team would be seeking guidance from Inuit elders to gather proposals that could subsequently be presented to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for approval.

Jupiter and Saturn are host to a multitude of small moons. Researchers believe that these moons are remnants of larger moons that collided with each other or with comets and asteroids, stated an AP report.

Meanwhile, scientists have carried out a similar process for Uranus and Neptune as well, but due to their significant distance from Earth, the task of spotting and studying their moons becomes even more challenging.

Also, The Guardian's report further said that Nasa's upcoming Dragonfly mission, anticipated to be launched in 2027, holds the promise of enabling close-up observations of at least one of Saturn's smaller outer moons.