All articles tagged with #irregular moons
In March 2025, the IAU recognized 128 new irregular Saturnian moons, lifting Saturn’s confirmed total from 146 to 274—more than any other planet—and reflecting a shift in how we detect tiny, distant satellites via shift-and-stack surveys; by March 2026 the tally rose further to 285, underscoring that the outer solar system’s inventory is still expanding and that many new moons are fragments or captured bodies on distant, inclined orbits.
Saturn’s count of confirmed moons jumped from about 83 in the early 2020s to 285 by 2026 due to deeper, stacked observations that reveal many tiny, distant moons. The surge reflects detection capabilities and survey methods rather than new moons forming, with most new bodies being irregular, captured objects often in clusters from ancient collisions. Jupiter has about 100 confirmed moons, but Saturn now leads; hundreds more candidates remain to be confirmed, and the total will likely keep rising as surveys improve.
An international team of astronomers led by Edward Ashton has discovered 62 new moons around Saturn using a technique called ‘shift and stack,’ which enhances the faint signals of smaller moons. The irregular moons contribute to Saturn’s total moon count of 145, surpassing Jupiter, and provide insights into the planet’s moon system’s collisional history. The new discoveries have resulted in multiple milestones for the ringed planet, including being the first planet to have over 100 discovered moons in total.
An international team of astronomers has discovered 62 new moons of Saturn, using a technique known as "shift and stack" to find fainter and smaller saturnian moons. All of the new moons are in the class of irregular moons, which are thought to be initially captured by their host planet long ago. The number of known saturnian irregular moons has more than doubled to 121, with 58 previously known before the search began. Including the 24 regular moons, there is now a total of 145 recognized moons orbiting Saturn.
Scientists have discovered 62 new moons orbiting Saturn, bringing the planet's total to 145, surpassing Jupiter's 95 confirmed moons. The newly discovered moons are all "irregular moons" and are expected to be recognized by the International Astronomical Union later this month. The moons are believed to have originated from a larger parent moon that broke apart millions of years ago.