12 New Moons Discovered Orbiting Jupiter
(photo credit NASA Hubble)
Astronomers report to have discovered an additional 12 moons to Jupiter’s original 80, raising the number to 92. They were discovered gradually using telescopes located in Hawaii and Chile. Originally Saturn held the record for the most moons of a planet in our solar system, being 83. Now, Jupiter holds the title for the most moons per planet.
The moons themselves are not nearly as large as Earth’s moon. Most moons orbiting Jupiter average around 0.6 to 2 miles in diameter. In April, the European Space Agency will send a spacecraft to Jupiter to study the new moons, followed by NASA sending a spacecraft in a year to study the moon Europa Clipper, which has the potential to harbor an ocean beneath its crust.
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