Saturn Holds Title for Most Moons! (Updated)
News story originally written on January 19, 2001

Click for full size

This shows the relative position of the new satellites with respect to where Saturn resides. These moons are the outmost moons of Saturn.
Click on image for full size (241K GIF)
Adapted from Image from Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur
In the last 20 years, there have been many observations that lead us to think that Saturn has many more small moons than we previously thought. In fact, in October 2000, a group of astronomers led by Brett Gladman of France's Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur and JJ Kavelaars of McMaster University in Canada announced their discovery of 4 new moons of Saturn. For now, their names are S/2000 S1, S/2000 S2, S/2000 S3 and S/2000 S4. Then in November 2000, the team spotted two additional moons, S/2000 S5 and S/2000 S6. To top that, they found four more Saturnian moons in December 2000, S/2000 S7 - S/2000 S10. That brings Saturn's total moon count to 28 moons! The finding of 10 moons in about 6 weeks is virually unprecendented in astronomical history! This sure is an exciting time!

Good observations back the claim to these moons being true satellites. All 10 of these moons will be renamed once they are confirmed. These new moons are very small moons (less than 50 km across) and are likely icy moons.

It will be up to the Cassini probe's arrival in 2004 to verify S/2000 S1-S10.

A Table of Moons in the Solar System

Saturn Holds Title for Most Moons! (Updated)
News story originally written on January 19, 2001

Click for full size

This shows the relative position of the new satellites with respect to where Saturn resides. These moons are the outmost moons of Saturn.
Click on image for full size (241K GIF)
Adapted from Image from Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur
In October 2000, a group of astronomers led by Brett Gladman of France's Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur and JJ Kavelaars of McMaster University in Canada announced their discovery of 4 new moons of Saturn. For now, their names are S/2000 S1, S/2000 S2, S/2000 S3 and S/2000 S4. Then in November 2000, the team spotted two additional moons, S/2000 S5 and S/2000 S6. To top that, they found four more moons in December 2000, S/2000 S7 - S/2000 S10. That brings Saturn's total moon count to 28 moons! The finding of 10 new moons in such a short time sure is exciting! All of the moons will be renamed once they are confirmed by Cassini.

These new moons are very small moons (less than 50 km across) and are likely icy moons.

There may be a lot of other moons orbiting Saturn. It will be up to the Cassini probe's arrival in 2004 to do a recount of all of the moons of Saturn, including a verification of S/2000 S1-S10.

A Table of Moons in the Solar System

Saturn Holds Title for Most Moons! (Updated)
News story originally written on January 19, 2001

Click for full size

This shows the relative position of the new satellites with respect to where Saturn resides. These moons are the outmost moons of Saturn.
Click on image for full size (241K GIF)
Adapted from Image from Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur
Did you know that a group of astronomers has found 10 new moons of Saturn in the last 6 weeks?!? This means Saturn now has 28 moons while Uranus only has 21. For now, the names of these new moons are S/2000 S1, S/2000 S2, S/2000 S3, S/2000 S4, S/2000 S5, S/2000 S6, S/2000 S7, S/2000 S8, S/2000 S9 and S/2000 S10. They will be renamed later. What would you call 10 moons if you got to name them?

These new moons are very small moons.

When Cassini gets to Saturn in 2004, it will be able to check out all of Saturn's moons. After all, Cassini will have a better view than we have here on Earth!

A Table of Moons in the Solar System


Last modified January 19, 2001 by the Windows Team

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