19h56 – Astronomers discover 12 new moons around Jupiter

US astronomers have discovered 12 new moons around Jupiter, scientists from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington said on Tuesday. This brings to 79 the number of known moons in orbit around the giant planet, that of our solar system which has the most natural satellites. The researchers were in Chile in the hope of seeing at the telescope a hidden planet at the confines of our solar system when, in the spring of 2017, they stumbled upon Jupiter moons that had not yet been recorded. Eleven of these moons have a diameter between one and three kilometers and are relatively comparable to each other. Of these, nine that are among the most distant satellites of Jupiter turn around, in reverse, in about two years. Scientists believe that they previously formed three larger bodies that would have dislocated, possibly as a result of a collision. Two other moons are closer to Jupiter and turn in the same direction as the voluminous planet. The twelfth moon is curious. It is the smallest known moon of Jupiter, with a diameter of less than one kilometer. It needs a year and a half to go around but its orbit is very unstable. Collisions with other celestial bodies are likely, according to astronomers. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. After the Sun, the Moon and Venus, it constitutes the brightest star in the earthly sky. (Belga)

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