We could consider that astronomers have been beating around the bush when it comes to the exact number of Saturn’s moons. It’s very difficult to determine the exact number of natural satellites that a planet has. Even so, it doesn’t mean that astronomers have to stop their research. It also doesn’t mean that they’re biting off more than they can chew if they continue to explore Saturn and its moons.
Saturn is an iconic planet in our Solar System. The planet’s unmistakable rings don’t represent the only remarkable aspect of the gas giant. Saturn also has an incredible number of moons, even more than scientists initially thought.
Does Saturn have 145 moons?
A new article posted on Mashable reveals that a recent study of astronomers indicates that Saturn has 145 moons, which means 62 more than they were initially discovered. To come to the new findings, scientists applied a detection technique with stacking photos. The procedure allowed them to capture more details in a single frame.
Edward Ashton, the scientist who is responsible for starting the new research, explained:
Tracking these moons makes me recall playing the kid’s game Dot-to-Dot,
But with about 100 different games on the same page and you don’t know which dot belongs to which puzzle.
The discovery still needs to receive confirmation from the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union. If the new observations of scientists turn out to be correct, it won’t only mean that Saturn has more moons than they’ve initially thought. It would also mean that the gas giant has more moons than Jupiter.
We can realistically expect that scientists will continue biting the bullet and invest more money and effort into the exploration of Saturn and its surroundings. Surely some haters would say that it’s embarrassing that the world has found out only now that so many moons revolve around Saturn, but it’s better late than never, right?
