Which planet has the most moons? Moons of Saturn, Venus and Jupiter explained
This great big solar system has plenty of secrets to tell. Just recently, NASA's new James Webb Telescope dazzled us mere Earthlings with the first images released to date of galaxies eons in the past.
The planetary systems surrounding us are similar in some ways and drastically different in others. When we look up at our moon it feels singular, but, in fact, there are many moons in the solar system, belonging to different planets.
Here are some fun facts about the other planet's moons—from Venus, to Jupiter, to Saturn.
Which planet has the most moons?
Saturn wins out for the most moons, followed closely by Jupiter.
How many moons does Saturn have?
Saturn has 82 moons. Of those, 53 are confirmed moons, and 29 are provisional, meaning they need to be confirmed by additional observation.
What are the planets in the solar system?
NASA lists these as the terrestrial planets of the inner solar system:
- Mercury
- Venus
- Mars
- Neptune
- Saturn
- Earth
- Uranus
- Jupiter
A moon is defined by NASA as a "natural satellite," usually a solid body, without an atmosphere—though a few, like Earth's, do have atmospheres. The majority of planetary moons likely were formed from the "rings" or discs of gas and dust circling planets early on in the solar system.
How many moons does Jupiter have?
Jupiter has 79 moons. Like Saturn, 53 are confirmed. In contrast though, Jupiter only has 26 additional provisional moons.
Which planet has no moons?
Both Mercury and Venus have no moons.
What is Earth's moon called?
Earth has only one moon (as you might have notice if you've ever looked upward at night.) Our moon is called just "the moon" because, according to NASA, it was the only moon we knew about for quite awhile.
Many of the other moons of the solar system claim their names from mythological characters. One of Neptune's moons for example is called "Triton" after the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
How many moons does Neptune have?
14. Neptune has the fourth most moons in the solar system.
How many moons does Uranus have?
27. With nearly 30 moons, the planet of Uranus has the bronze medal for third most moons in the solar system.
Which planets have rings?
Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune all have rings. Saturn's is the brightest though, and therefore the planet most thought of as "ringed" in the popular imagination.
Saturn's rings are composed of ice and rock, and some scientists think their formation might have something to do with the planet's plentiful moons.
What planet rains diamonds?
This sounds like a question straight out of a sci-fi novel. Astoundingly, it has basis in reality. On Uranus, Neptune and Saturn scientists believe there is likely diamond rainfall.
On Saturn, a video from BBC Earth describes a scenario where soot clouds, deep in the planet, reach such a point of pressure that the chunks of soot turn to diamonds.
American Scientist also reports that scientists have believed diamond-rain to be a phenomenon on both Neptune and Uranus, but since the planets are so far away, on the outer fringes of the solar system, it has been difficult to study.
What is the brightest planet right now?
According to The Center for Astrophysics, a collaboration between Harvard and The Smithsonian, in August of 2022 viewers will be able to see Mars and Jupiter overhead in the night sky (though you might need binoculars, or a telescope.)
The month of August actually began with a conjunction of Mars and Uranus, the CFA reports, and closer to the middle of the month, Jupiter and the Moon will appear only a finger width's distance from one another.
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