Jupiter Moons - NASA Science (2024)

FAQs

How many moons does Jupiter have in NASA? ›

Jupiter has 95 moons that have been officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union. But the number doesn't capture the complexity of the Jovian system of moons, rings and asteroids. The giant planet has thousands of small objects in its orbit.

Jupiter already reigns as king of the planets — it's the largest one in our solar system. And now, the gas giant has the most known moons, too. Astronomers have observed 12 additional moons orbiting Jupiter, bringing its total number of confirmed moons to 92.

The Gas Giant hosts 79 moons, but scientists are particularly intrigued by those known as the Galilean satellites. Jupiter isn't just king of the planets because its big, the gas giant also has the most moons. In total, scientists think Jupiter has 79 moons.

Facts About Jupiter

If Jupiter was a hollow shell, 1,000 Earths could fit inside. Jupiter also is the oldest planet, forming from the dust and gases left over from the Sun's formation 4.5 billion years ago. But it has the shortest day in the solar system, taking only 10.5 hours to spin around once on its axis.

With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. Jupiter has 95 moons that are officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union.

There are 95 moons of Jupiter with confirmed orbits as of 5 February 2024. This number does not include a number of meter-sized moonlets thought to be shed from the inner moons, nor hundreds of possible kilometer-sized outer irregular moons that were only briefly captured by telescopes.

In our solar system, Jupiter has the most moons, with around 61 being the latest count. Many of these are recently discovered and small or irregular in shape, because, unlike a planet, all a moon has to do is orbit another planetary body.

The Saturn system teems with natural satellites, from planet-sized Titan to small oddballs, shaped like potatoes or ravioli. As of June 8, 2023, Saturn has 146 moons in its orbit.

Jupiter has four main ring structures. Working outwards from the planet itself there is the thick, inner 'halo ring', which is 12,500km thick. And two thick but very faint 'gossamer rings'. The halo ring is neutral or blue in colour, while the main and gossamer rings have a reddish hue.

Jupiter, for instance, has 95 known moons! The most well-known of Jupiter's moons are Io (pronounced eye-oh), Europa, and Callisto. Jupiter also has the biggest moon in our solar system, Ganymede.

Which planet has 600 moons? ›

Knowing how much of the sky around Jupiter they covered, and how many they'd miss for various reasons, they came up with their estimate of 600 moons that are 0.8 km wide or larger.

How hot is the gas giant planet? The short answer is that Jupiter's temperature is about –110°C / –166°F. That's if you were standing on the planet's surface, which of course you can't. Jupiter is composed mostly of gases and liquids, so there's no surface to stand on.

According to the NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics team, the current tally of moons orbiting planets in our solar system is 293: One moon for Earth; two for Mars; 95 at Jupiter; 146 at Saturn; 28 at Uranus; 16 at Neptune; and five for dwarf planet Pluto.

With a total of 95 moons, Jupiter has once again surpassed Saturn as the planet in our Solar System with the most moons. Saturn, Jupiter's outer neighbour, currently has 83 known satellites.

Jupiter now officially has 92 moons after astronomers observed 12 new natural satellites orbiting the solar system's largest planet. That new total puts it nine ahead of Saturn, which has 83 moons.

Following in NASA's storied tradition of sending inspirational messages into space, the agency has special plans for Europa Clipper, which later this year will launch toward Jupiter's moon Europa.