Saturn Overtakes Jupiter - In number of moons that is

[johninderby]

I see than a group in Hawaii has discovered a load of new moons around Saturn and it’s now Saturn 82 v Jupiter 79

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Saturn has overtaken Jupiter as the planet with the most moons, according to US researchers.
A team discovered a haul of 20 new moons orbiting the ringed planet, bringing its total to 82; Jupiter, by contrast, has 79 natural satellites.
The moons were discovered using the Subaru telescope on Maunakea, Hawaii.
Each of the newly discovered objects in orbit around Saturn is about 5km (three miles) in diameter; 17 of them orbit the planet "backwards".
This is known as a retrograde direction. The other three moons orbit in a prograde direction - the same direction as Saturn rotates.
Two of the prograde moons take about two years to travel once around the ringed planet.
The more-distant retrograde moons and one of the prograde moons each take more than three years to complete an orbit.

[Carbon Brush]

Thanks for posting.

I remember at the Jupiter Voyager 1 & 2 encounters that the number of moons increased from the known 12 to about 20. Saturn had a similar boost.

Less than half a century later the count is 161 between them. No doubt there will be more to follow in the coming years.

 

[johninderby]

Think many of Saturns new moons should be classed as moonlets though. 🤔

Edited October 8, 2019 by johninderby