NYTimes: 79 Moons of Jupiter and Counting

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SUMMARY

On July 18, 2018, scientists led by Scott S. Sheppard from the Carnegie Institution for Science confirmed the discovery of a dozen new moons around Jupiter, increasing the total to 79. The newly identified moons are relatively small, measuring between half a mile and two miles in diameter, and orbit at significant distances from Jupiter, which explains their previous invisibility. However, it is important to note that only ten of these moons are genuinely new discoveries, as two had been reported in the previous year.

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By Kenneth Chang

  • July 18, 2018
On Tuesday, scientists led by Scott S. Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science announced the discovery of a dozen moons around Jupiter, bringing the total number orbiting the solar system’s largest planet to 79. Next to the famous moons that Galileo spotted through his telescope in 1610 — bigger-than-Mercury Ganymede, deeply cratered Callisto, volcanic Io, icy Europa — the new ones are slight. They measure between a half mile and two miles wide and orbit millions of miles from the planet — good explanations for why no one had seen them until now.

Article Continues:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/science/jupiter-new-moons.html

Source Link - Carnegie Institution:
https://carnegiescience.edu/node/2367

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diogenesNY
 
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Never trust The New York Times.

In fact, only ten of the moons are new. Two had been announced last year. See https://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/jupiters-moons-12-more-found-79-now-known/
 
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