274 Moons and Counting: This planet sets new record with maximum no. of satellites, not Jupiter or Mars, it is...

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery, adding 128 new moons to Saturn’s already impressive collection. This brings the planet’s total number of moons to 274, making it the planet with the most moons in our Solar System. The discovery was officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union and was led by Edward Ashton, an astronomer at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. This finding could help scientists better understand how planets and their moons evolve.

With these new additions, Saturn has overtaken Jupiter, which has 95 known moons. Other gas giants, Uranus and Neptune, remain in third and fourth place with 28 and 16 moons, respectively.

Small Moons With Unusual Orbits
Unlike Earth's Moon, which is over 3,400 kilometers wide, these newly discovered moons are much smaller, only a few kilometers across. They also follow unusual orbits around Saturn, moving in chaotic and sometimes backward (retrograde) paths compared to its major moons, such as Titan and Rhea.

Edward Ashton commented, "Sure enough, we found 128 new moons. Based on our projections, I don't think Jupiter will ever catch up." However, he also pointed out that there is no clear definition of what qualifies as a moon. "There should be. With current technology, I don’t think we can do much better than what has already been done for moons around Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune."

How Were These Moons Found?
The team of astronomers discovered the new moons by using a method called "stacking," which combines multiple images taken from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. This technique helped identify faint objects orbiting Saturn, which were previously too difficult to detect.

As per tradition, these moons will eventually be named after gods from Gallic, Norse, and Canadian Inuit mythology, just like Saturn’s other moons.

Earlier Observations Played a Role
Although these moons were officially discovered now, astronomer Scott Sheppard from the Carnegie Institution for Science had hinted at their existence between 2004 and 2007. He used the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii to observe Saturn and noticed faint lights, suggesting the presence of small moons. However, at that time, their orbits could not be confirmed due to limitations in tracking technology.

Edward Ashton and his team were able to revisit Sheppard’s findings using modern, advanced equipment, which allowed them to track and confirm the moons’ orbits.

Why Does Saturn Have So Many Moons?
Scientists believe that Saturn's large number of moons could be due to its distance from the Sun. Since it is farther out in the Solar System, it likely captured more icy objects over time. According to Scott Sheppard, Saturn’s moons might be made of more fragile, icy material, making them easier to break apart and form multiple moons, unlike Jupiter’s rockier moons.

With this latest discovery, Saturn has firmly secured its position as the moon champion of our Solar System!