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If you face up on a clear night , the bright and largest object in the sky will believably be the moon . And unless you have a decent scope , it is the only raw planet you could see with your own middle . As a issue , most people have a warped perception of what a moon is and how coarse these natural artificial satellite really are .
In reality , there are hundreds , if not thousands , of natural satellites , in our cosmic neighborhood , ranging from irregular town - size space rocks to massive rounded dead body that are potentially adult enough to be considered planets in their own rightfulness .
Saturn has at least 274 moons — the most of any planet in the solar system.
So exactly how manysolar systemmoons have we line up ? The solution , it turn out , reckon on your definition of a lunation .
The International Astronomical Union ( IAU ) officially recognizes 416 worldwide moons orb thesolar system ’s eight worlds , according toNASA . But there are also a further 507 " humble - consistency satellite " — the moons of asteroids and dwarf major planet — number by NASA’sJet Propulsion Laboratory . If we count both type , as most stargazer would , this brings the full number of natural solar organization satellites to 923 ( as of March 2025 ) .
But this is likely just " the tip of the iceberg,“Edward Ashton , an astronomer at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan , told Live Science in an email . astronomer have found piles of new world moons and little - body satellites in the last few years alone , and technological progress will likely speed the rate at which they can spot more in the come class , he supply .
Saturn has at least 274 moons — the most of any planet in the solar system.
What is a moon?
" The unsubdivided definition [ of a moonshine ] would be an physical object that is in an orbit around a larger , non - stellar physical object , " Ashton told Live Science . " But that is not quite the gross reply . "
For model , there are currentlythousands of homo - made satellites in orbit around Earththat satisfy the definition above but are not considered moon because they are not natural . These ballistic capsule also have circumscribe life history duo beforefalling back to Earth and burning up in our atmosphere .
Some natural satellites , such as quasi - moon and minimoons , are also temporary and do not really orbit planets .
A quasi-moon temporarily orbiting the sun alongside Earth may look as if it is in orbit around our planet. But it is not.
Related : Will Earth ever misplace its moon ?
There is also a motion of size , Brett Gladman , an stargazer at the University of British Columbia in Canada , told Live Science in an e-mail . For example , ring particles — the lilliputian fragment of rock that make up the annulus of planets like Saturn and Uranus — singly orbit their horde planet but are not considered moons , Gladman said .
object humble than a few hundred feet , often referred to as " ring moons " or " moonlets , " also have " fuzzy definitions " and are not weigh dependable moons , Gladman added .
Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, are each just a few miles wide and orbit the Red Planet much closer than the moon orbits Earth.
Even among recognized moons , there are still points of controversy . For example , planetary moons can be split into two chemical group : regular moons , which are typically larger and have small , circular orbits tightlipped to the equator of their legion planet ; and unpredictable Moon , which can be much diminished and have larger , more egg-shaped orbits around their legion planet , Ashton said .
Among the regular Moon , around 20 are also consider major moon — meaning they are big enough to have a rounded form stimulate by their solemnity , according toThe Planetary Society .
Planetary moons
Starting closest to the Sunday , our nursing home superstar ’s dear neighbor , MercuryandVenus , have no true moon because of their propinquity to the jumbo musket ball of gas , which would have ripped away any potential lunar month from the planet long ago . Venus does have one known quasi - synodic month , Zoozve , but this does not look because it really orbits the sun , not Venus .
Moving on , we come to Earth . Ourhome planet has just one major moon . However , it also hasat least seven quasi - moonsandoccasionally gain extra minimoonsfor around a year at a time . These lunar pseud do not matter , either . However , some scientists imagine we could use these place stone as irregular base tohelp us become an interplanetary species .
Next up isMars , which has two dependable moonshine : PhobosandDeimos . Both are just a few mi wide and orbit very tight to the Red Planet . Phobos is slowly fall toward Mars and is portend to crash into the world ’s control surface someday — if it is not ripped apart first .
The geysers of Saturn’s major moon Enceladus indicate it could have the conditions needed to support extraterrestrial life.
As we move on to the giant planets , things bulge out to get more interesting . The first accelerator pedal goliath , Jupiter , has a walloping 95 moons , including four major moons — Callisto , Europa , Io andGanymede , the largest moonshine in the solar system . ButSaturnhas even more : There are at least 274 Saturnian moonlight , include six major moons , such as Titan , MimasandEnceladus .
The chicken feed giantsUranusandNeptunehave 28 and 16 Moon , respectively , and seven major moons between them .
refer : Where does the solar system stop ?
Pluto’s largest moon Charon is probably big enough to be considered a major moon if it orbited a true planet.
But these number have changed significantly in the retiring few age alone . Since the starting of 2023 , stargazer , including Ashton and Gladman , have found at least190 young irregular moons around Saturnand12 new Jovian moon , as well as apair of Neptunian Sun Myung Moon and a single moon around Uranus .
Advancements in engineering can excuse the sudden increase in moon discoveries . More potent telescopes can fleck smaller moons — peculiarly irregular moon — that are abundant around gargantuan planets , Ashton say .
As a outcome , the number of moons is likely to continue to jump sharp over the next few years . For instance , Ashton revealed that he has already discovered some additional planetary moons but is still waiting for follow - up observance to corroborate their existence before subject them to the IAU .
The number of planetary moons may also increase if we find out more planets in the solar system . One such world is the elusivePlanet Nine — a suppositional giant major planet that may lurk in the far reaches of the solar system . If this planet does exist , researchers have already theorise that itcould be surrounded by multiple moons .
Researchers have also speculated that additional upstage macrocosm trance from interstellar space by the sun ’s gravitative pull , known as rogue planet , could also have moon .
Small-body satellites
NASA ’s tally of over 500 small - consistency satellites is even more uncertain than the routine of terrestrial Moon because we arefinding more asteroidsall the time . Some asteroids can also have multiple satellite that arehard to distinguish from one another , Ashton say .
The IAU also estimate that there could be " more than 100 " extra dwarf planetswaiting to be find in the outer solar organisation , all of which could have moons .
" Just like the giant planet satellite , we are yet to discover the Brobdingnagian majority of them , " Ashton said . In sum , there will probably be " around as many lowly - body satellites as terrestrial moons , " he added .
However , other astronomers , like Gladman , are less sure about how many small - body satellites there may be . " So much of the ' parent ' population [ of boniface objects ] is still not known that it is unmanageable to address this question , " he said .
How many moons could there be in total?
There are more than 900 known natural artificial satellite in the solar system . However , as we have date , this number is likely to turn significantly in the futurity .
Past study have shown that there could be hundreds , if not K , of tiny global Moon that could be discovered with more muscular scope , Gladman sound out . And as we have already seen , there is bully uncertainty about how many small - body planet are really out there .
— What is the ' man in the moon , ' and how did it shape ?
— Why can we sometimes see the moon in broad daylight ?
— Why ca n’t we see the far side of the Sun Myung Moon ?
But this uncertainty does n’t stop researchers from being able to venture a supposition .
" I cerebrate that there are probably about 10,000 moons in the solar organization , " Ashton tell .
But there is no telling how long it could take us to find them all .
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