WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saturn is now being recognized as the “moon king” of our solar system, with astronomers spotting 20 more of them orbiting the giant ringed planet, bringing its total count to 82 - three more than Jupiter.
The newly identified small moons, ranging from about 2 to 4 miles (3 to 6 km) in diameter, were detected using the Subaru telescope in Hawaii by a research team led by astronomer Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington.
The discovery was announced this week by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center.
One of the moons orbits at an astounding distance of about 15 million miles (24 million km) from Saturn, farther away than any of its other moons! Home - Saturn Power www. saturn power.com Saturn Power develops, operates and owns solar , energy storage and wind power projects. We have made the adoption and promotion of sustainable corporate practices part of our operational philosophy. We are mindful of both financial and environmental sustainability with respect to our project development. Our Team Land Acquisition Specialist, Northwestern Canada & USA. Bob...!! By comparison, Earth’s moon orbits about 240,000 miles (386,000 km) from the planet.
Not to change the topic here:
Discovery of 20 new moons gives Saturn a solar system record
In October 2016, NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured of its last looks at Saturn and its main rings. Nearly three years later, astronomers have announced the discovery of 20 small moons orbiting Saturn, bringing the planet's total up to 82.
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Jupiter may be the solar system's king, but Saturn has a bigger entourage: Today, astronomers announced that they have discovered 20 more moons around Saturn, bringing its total number to 82—the most for any planet in the solar system! Overview | Saturn – NASA Solar System Exploration solarsystem.nasa.gov /planets/ saturn Saturn . Saturn is the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest planet in our solar system. Adorned with thousands of beautiful ringlets, Saturn is unique among the planets. It is not the only planet to have rings—made of chunks of ice and rock—but none are as spectacular or as complicated as Saturn's .!! The massive haul comes just over a year after astronomers announced 12 new moons orbiting Jupiter , but with the latest finds, Saturn's retinue now surpasses Jupiter's 79 known natural satellites. ( Explore our interactive atlas of moons .)
Taken together, these sets of relatively small moons could help astronomers better understand the many collisions that took place in the early solar system, and they could provide ripe new flyby targets for future missions to the gas giants.
Pressure runs high at edge of solar system
"In adding up the pieces known from previous studies, we found our new value is still larger than what's been measured so far," said Jamie Rankin, lead author on the new study and astronomer at Princeton University in New Jersey. "It says that there are some other parts to the pressure that aren't being considered right now that could contribute."
On Earth we have air pressure, created by air molecules drawn down by gravity. In space there's also a pressure created by particles like ions and electrons! In Depth | Saturn – NASA Solar System Exploration solarsystem.nasa.gov /planets/ saturn /in-depth Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in our solar system. Adorned with a dazzling system of icy rings, Saturn is unique among the planets. It is not the only planet to have rings, but none are as spectacular or as complex as Saturn's . Like fellow gas giant Jupiter, Saturn is a massive ball made mostly of hydrogen and helium.!! These particles, heated and accelerated by the Sun create a giant balloon known as the heliosphere extending millions of miles out past Pluto. The edge of this region, where the Sun's influence is overcome by the pressures of particles from other stars and interstellar space , is where the Sun's magnetic influence ends. (Its gravitational influence extends much farther, so the solar system itself extends farther, as well.)
Borisov: The Comet-Like Object Passing Through Our Solar System In December | UPR Utah Public
Gennady Borisov, an amateur astronomer from Crimea, Ukraine, discovered a new object from his observatory that appears to be a comet coming from the depths of interstellar space! Planet Saturn: Facts About Saturn's Rings, Moons & Size ...www.space.com /48- ...solar ...Saturn is a gas giant made up mostly of hydrogen and helium. Saturn's volume is greater than 760 Earths, and it is the second most massive planet in the solar system, about 95 times Earth's mass ...!! Unlike most comets, it does not appear to be part of our solar system! Saturn Facts: Interesting Facts about Planet Saturn • The ...theplanets.org/ saturn Saturn Facts. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and second largest planet of the Solar System in terms of diameter and mass. If compared, it is easy to see why Saturn and Jupiter have been designated as relatives. From atmospheric composition to rotation, these two planets are extremely similar.!! The orbit of the new object is hyperbolic in shape and is probably not bound by the gravity our sun.
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This object will pass through our solar system close to the orbit of the planet Mars and then head back into deep space never to visit us again.
Because this object was discovered as it is heading into our solar system it will give astronomers ample opportunity to observe this mysterious object for a long time and to learn about its chemical composition.
The makeup of this object can then be compared to other objects that are part of our solar system to see if it is made of the same material or something much different. Unlike a similar object named Oumuamua that was discovered in late 2017, object Borisov has a tail, putting it into the category of a comet.
Other things to check out:
What Makes a Planet and How Many Are There in Our Solar System?
What makes a space object a planet? How many are there actually in our solar system? Let's find out.
How many planets are there in our solar system? 9? 8? 12? More? The answer might actually surprise you.
Here we explore the answer to this apparently simple question and take a quick tour of the main primary planets of our home solar system.
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What is a planet? An enormous chunk of stuff (rock or gas), roughly spheroidal in shape that orbits a star and may or may not have a moon, right?
While this is in part true, there are some issues with such a simple definition. What about asteroids? When does an object become large enough to be considered a planet?
Why are Venus and Mercury planets (according to current classifications) but not Pluto? As it turns out, the reasons are pretty straight forward.
This potential moon outside of the solar system isn't anything like ours - CNN
(CNN) In October 2018, astronomers discovered what they thought could be an exomoon, a moon outside our solar system. The exomoon, which is estimated to be the size of Neptune, was found in orbit around a gigantic gas planet 8,000 light years from Earth.
Saturn is now being recognized as the 'moon king' of our solar system, with astronomers spotting 20 more of them or… https://t.co/a3e8RyvEBE Reuters (from Around the world) Thu Oct 10 10:26:54 +0000 2019
Saturn is the solar system's 'moon king,' with 20 more spotted https://t.co/ZKE0nksFDz https://t.co/pIGX0L1WMA Reuters (from Around the world) Thu Oct 10 08:26:03 +0000 2019
Saturn is the solar system's 'moon king,' with 20 more spotted https://t.co/6dSDFjmbr6 https://t.co/jtcFGJ1XK3 Reuters (from Around the world) Thu Oct 10 04:39:13 +0000 2019
Saturn is now the most-mooned planet in our solar system. https://t.co/sMQ3cHjrYc ScienceNews (from Washington, DC) Wed Oct 09 12:00:00 +0000 2019
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