How many moons does Jupiter have and how were they discovered?

In summary, this year 21 new satellites of Jupiter have been discovered, thought to be a result of an ancient collision with a larger moon and a comet. Jupiter has four large moons and numerous smaller ones, with 60 known satellites so far. These moons include Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede (the biggest), Callisto (the second biggest), Leda (the smallest), Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, Sinope, and many more that have not yet been named. Jupiter currently has more known moons than Saturn, although the number is constantly changing as more are discovered. Jupiter
  • #1
SpaceGuy
20
0
21 new satellites of Jupiter have been found this year. Many are thought to be due to an ancient collision of a larger moon with a comet.

Jupiter has four large moons and dozens of smaller ones (there are 60 satellites known so far). Galileo first discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto in 1610, using a 20-power telescope; these moons are known as the Galilean moons.

The moons of Jupiter are (in order by their distance from Jupiter): Metis, Adrastea, Amalthea, Thebe, Io, Europa, Ganymede (the biggest), Callisto (the second biggest), Leda (the smallest), Himalia, Lysithea, Elara, Ananke, Carme, Pasiphae, Sinope, and many newly-discovered moons that haven't been named yet.

In the time it took to write this more might have been found.

Jovian Factsheet.
 
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  • #2
on a tv show they asked which planet had the most moons, i answered jupiter, i felt so stupid...it was saturn [b(]
 
  • #3
Originally posted by guitarusa2001
on a tv show they asked which planet had the most moons, i answered jupiter, i felt so stupid...it was saturn [b(]

Don't. You were correct. Jupiter has more discoverd moons than Saturn (61 vs. 31 by my last count). But moons are being discovered fast and furious now...back in Jan. 2001, Saturn did have the most known moons (31 vs. Jupiter's 28 known moons at that time).
 
  • #4
By the way, welcome to Physics Forums, SpaceGuy & guitarusa2001! :smile:
 
  • #5
being that Jupiter and saturn are considered "gas" planets, would they almost have a mini solar system of their own with all of these satellites orbiting around? does Jupiter or saturn cause weather patterns for these moons?
 
  • #6
Jupiter causes tidal fluctuations on its moons (which is why IO is so hot) its like what the moon does to the Earth except on an extemely massive scale
 

1. How many new moons were discovered around Jupiter?

21 new moons were discovered around Jupiter, bringing the total number of known moons orbiting the gas giant to 79.

2. How were these new moons discovered?

The new moons were discovered by a team of astronomers led by Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science. They used the Blanco 4-meter telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile to observe Jupiter and its moons.

3. What is special about these new moons?

These new moons are the smallest moons ever discovered around Jupiter, with the largest being only about a mile in diameter. They also have very irregular and distant orbits, making them unique among Jupiter's moons.

4. What is the significance of these new moons?

These new moons provide insights into the formation and evolution of the Jupiter system. They also help scientists better understand the dynamics of the outer solar system and the potential risks of collisions between small moons.

5. Will these new moons be given names?

Yes, these new moons will eventually be given names. As of now, they are simply referred to as "Jupiter LXXIX" and so on, based on their order of discovery. The International Astronomical Union will approve official names for these moons in the future.

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