menu
techminis

A naukri.com initiative

google-web-stories
Home

>

Space News

>

Whoa! Astr...
source image

Knowridge

1M

read

184

img
dot

Image Credit: Knowridge

Whoa! Astronomers found 128 new moons orbiting Saturn

  • An international team of astronomers discovered 128 new moons orbiting Saturn, confirmed by the Minor Planet Center.
  • Observations between 2019 and 2021 led to the discovery of 64 new moons initially.
  • The new moons are irregular, likely captured objects that broke apart due to collisions.
  • Saturn's moons follow wide, elliptical orbits compared to Earth's Moon.
  • The small moons are suspected to be fragments of larger captured moons in Saturn's system.
  • The ratio of small moons to large ones indicates a significant past collision in the Saturn system.
  • Most of the 128 moons have retrograde orbits, hinting at their captured origins.
  • The moons are near the Mundilfari group, suggesting a significant past collision in that region.
  • Saturn's moon population is connected to its rings, shaping and influencing them.
  • The IAU has assigned temporary designations for the new moons until they are officially named.

Read Full Article

like

11 Likes

For uninterrupted reading, download the app