This is how many moons does Jupiter have, almost 100?

Jakarta –

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) officially recognizes that there are 288 moons on the planets of the solar system. So is it true that Jupiter has the most moons?

In 1610, Galileo Galilei discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter. These moons are named after figures in Greek mythology, namely Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa.

Then on October 14, 2024, NASA launched the “Europa Clipper” from the Kennedy Space Center to Jupiter to study Europa, one of its largest moons. This research and discovery shows that there is a lot of heath on Jupiter. But, how much is the real number?

The number of moons that Jupiter has

According to data published by the International Astronomical Union, Jupiter is currently estimated to have around 95 moons. These moons are big and some of them are even bigger than Earth’s moon. The moon makes up nearly 99.97 percent of the total mass of objects orbiting Jupiter.

Due to their large size, and geological activity such as volcanism, these moors are capable of creating thin atmospheres naturally. The atmospheres of these moors were formed by geological processes, although their surfaces are still very thin compared to Earth’s atmosphere.

However, of Jupiter’s 91 moons, in addition to Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa, only 57 moons have official names. Eight of their moons have regular, nearly circular orbits.

Astronomer from New York University, Statia Cook, said that the eight moons are too small to hold atmospheric vapor.

“Jupiter is not the only planet in the solar system that has many moons. Saturn is the planet that currently has more moons,” he said in Living scienceannounced on Monday (28/10/2024).

The number of moons that Saturn has

Of course, Jupiter is not the planet with the most moons in the solar system, but Saturn is. If Jupiter has 95 moons, Saturn has about 146 moons.

Saturn’s largest moon is called “Titan”, which is almost twice the size of Earth’s moon. This moon is one of the best candidates chosen for finding extraterrestrial or extraterrestrial life, along with Europa (Jupiter’s moon).

“Titan is very special, it has clouds, water, rivers and lakes, but it’s made of hydrocarbons like methane, not water,” Cook said.

Future research will tell if moons like Titan and Europa harbor the ingredients necessary for life. Several satellites have begun to be sent to these two moons to study, and one of them is the “Europa Clipper” which is expected to arrive and begin studying the moon Europa in 2030.

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