On Tuesday, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) confirmed an exciting discovery: 128 new moons orbiting Saturn. This discovery brings Saturn’s total to 274 known moons, far exceeding Jupiter’s 95 moons.
A team of astronomers made these findings using the Canada France Hawaii Telescope in 2023, observing Saturn from Mauna Kea, Hawaii. These new moons are likely small and distant, mostly resembling rocks floating through space.
All newly identified moons have unusual orbits, angled steeply compared to Saturn’s equator. They lie beyond Saturn’s iconic rings and far from its larger moons. Interestingly, a group of 47 of these moons has been named “Mundilfari.” Scientists suggest that they may have formed from a collision near Saturn approximately 100 million years ago, a time frame that predates the extinction of dinosaurs by at least 30 million years.
Recent advancements in imaging techniques allowed astronomers to detect these moons. By stitching together captured images, they previously discovered 62 moons in 2023. This method has been crucial in gathering detailed observation data, with the IAU’s formal documents comprising thousands of lines detailing each moon’s orbit.
As for naming the moons, that responsibility is expected to go to Edward Ashton, a postdoctoral fellow at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan. Ashton’s work is pivotal, and he is also the lead author of an upcoming paper on this discovery, set to be published in the *Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society*.
This remarkable find highlights not just the expanding knowledge of our solar system but also the evolving technology that makes such discoveries possible. Scientists believe this could reshape our understanding of Saturn and its extensive moon system. With each new moon discovered, we learn more about the history and dynamics of our cosmic neighborhood.
If you’re curious to dive deeper into this exciting development, check out the [Nature article for further details](https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00781-1) and the [IAU’s official documentation](https://minorplanetcenter.net/). These resources provide a treasure trove of information for space enthusiasts and researchers alike.
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