Science Alert: Astronomers discover 12 new moons of Jupiter, including an oddity

Astronomers have just announced the discovery of a dozen more moons of Jupiter, our solar system's oldest and biggest planet. The new moons bring Jupiter's total to 79. Jupiter's moons range in size from shrimpy satellites to whopping space hulks. Galileo discovered the first four of Jupiter's moons, all huge, in 1610. The largest Galilean moon, Ganymede, is bigger than the planet Mercury. Those moons orbit close to Jupiter and travel in the same direction as the planet spins. The newfound moons are farther-flung and tiny, each no more than two miles in diameter. One is the smallest Jovian moon ever discovered.

Democracy Dies in Darkness     Science Alert Jul 17, 10:04 AM     Astronomers discover 12 new moons of Jupiter, including an oddity Astronomers have just announced the discovery of a dozen more moons of Jupiter, our solar system's oldest and biggest planet. The new moons bring Jupiter's total to 79. Jupiter's moons range in size from shrimpy satellites to whopping space hulks. Galileo discovered the first four of Jupiter's moons, all huge, in 1610. The largest Galilean moon, Ganymede, is bigger than the planet Mercury. Those moons orbit close to Jupiter and travel in the same direction as the planet spins. The newfound moons are farther-flung and tiny, each no more than two miles in diameter. One is the smallest Jovian moon ever discovered. Read more » Advertisement You received this email because you signed up for news alerts from The Washington Post. Manage my newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Help ©2018 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071