Saturn Moons Count Reaches 274 with 128 new Discovery

Context: Recently astronomers have discovered 128 new moons orbiting Saturn, bringing its total moon count to 274.

About Saturn

• Saturn is the 6th planet from the Sun and the 2nd largest planet in our solar system.
• It is a gas giant planet made up of hydrogen and helium.
• It is the least dense planet in our solar system.
• Saturn has the highest number of moons in our solar system (146)
• Its moon, Titan, is the second largest moon in our solar system after Ganymede of Jupiter.
• Saturn’s rapid rotation gives it an oblate shape. It is flattened at the poles and bulging at the equator.

Discovery Process & Techniques Used

• The discovery was based on revisiting earlier observations from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.
• Technique Used: “Shift and Stack” Method
  • Sequential images of the sky were taken to track the movement of each moon.
  • These images were combined to increase brightness, making the moons visible.

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