Astronomers Find 20 New Moons Around Saturn

The reign of Jupiter, named after the father of the Olympian gods, has been long and sweet. Aside from being the largest planet in the Solar System, it was this gas giant that demonstrated in the 17th century that planets other than Earth can support a system of moons. Between its size, powerful magnetic field, and system of 79 moons, Jupiter looked set to remain the king of the planets indefinitely.

But it looks like Saturn, named after the father of Jupiter in Greco-Roman mythology, might have just knocked Jupiter off that pedestal. Thanks to a team led by famed astronomer Scott S. Sheppard 20 new moons have been discovered orbiting Saturn. That brings the total number of Saturnian (or Cronian) satellites to 82, putting it ahead of Jupiter’s 79. And the best part? You can help name them!

The discovery was announced earlier today (Monday, Oct. 7th) by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center (MPEC). The team responsible for the discoveries included Sheppard, David Jewitt of UCLA, and Jan Kleyna of the University of Hawaii using the 8.2 meter Subaru Telescope located at the Mauna Kea observatory in Hawaii.

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