If you had to pick one planet in the solar system that stands out, Saturn might already come to mind for its majestic rings. Now, there is an even bigger reason to pay attention: astronomers have identified 128 previously unknown moons orbiting the ringed giant. With these additions, Saturn’s total moon count skyrockets to 274, nearly double the number of moons orbiting other planets in our solar system combined.
Pinpointing these celestial objects isn’t as straightforward as just looking for them. Many measure just a few kilometers across, making them faint pinpricks of light against the dark backdrop of space. To identify them, scientists relied on a clever method called “shift and stack,” layering multiple sequential images of the same region to enhance the visibility of moving objects that would otherwise remain invisible.
The newly discovered moons follow “irregular” orbits, sometimes moving in reverse. This odd trait hints at their origins: larger moons or asteroids that collided long ago, scattering fragments that stayed under the planet’s gravitational influence.
Researchers hope to get a clearer image of our solar system’s past by studying these irregular clusters. Their movements could shed light on the formation of Saturn’s iconic rings, which may be the debris of a shattered moon. Meanwhile, their discovery invites us to wonder whether there’s any upper limit to the number of moons a planet can host.
While the new moons are currently identified by numbers, they will soon receive names inspired by Gallic, Norse, and Inuit mythologies. With better tools and techniques on the horizon, there’s no telling what else we might find swirling around Saturn – or anywhere else in the universe.