12 new satellites around Jupiter

Photo – ROBERTO MOLAR-CANDANOSA, CARNEGIE SCIENCE INSTITUTION

Jupiter satellites, including the smallest "Valetudo" recently discovered (orbit designated by the green line)

Finding a hypothetical giant planet "Nine Planet", astronomers have discovered something else – 12 new natural satellites for Jupiter, bringing to 79 the number of satellites around the big planet. This is the largest number of satellites around the Sun. the system. In addition, one of them is quite strange.

The new satellites were discovered using the Blanco telescope at the Inter-American Observatory of Cerro Tololo in Chile, which also has a dark energy camera. Astronomer Scott Shepard, with a team from the Carnegie Institute of Science, used the telescope to research the Ninth Planet, but by that time they managed to observe Jupiter at the same time, which allowed the team to identify the satellites. Nine of the planet's new natural satellites have been observed far away – about 25 million kilometers, moving in the opposite direction to the planet's rotation. For these satellites, it takes about two Earth years to encircle Jupiter.

S. Shepard believes that these satellites are the remains of three larger older satellites, separated from each other by collisions with other satellites, asteroids or comets. Two of the satellites, which are also considered the remains of a larger satellite, are closer to Jupiter and move with Jupiter. They are able to surround the planet less than a year.

And remains a strange companion, who is also the smallest and whose orbit is significantly different from other satellites. It was given the name "Valadelo", which in Roman mythology was the goddess of health and hygiene, godfather of the god Jupiter. "Valetudo" moves with Jupiter, but it is far beyond other satellites, and is more oblique. This means that "Valetudo" crosses the satellites that oppose the rotation of Jupiter and can collide with them. "Valēdoo" is driving the wrong side of the highway, says Shepard. He believes that new satellites can help understand the early years of the solar system