Io is the fourth-largest moon in the solar system and the third largest Galilean moon.. Io was discovered on Jan. 8, 1610 by Galileo Galilei. for Science / … Earth only has one moon, but dozens of natural satellites revolve around Jupiter, the biggest planet in our solar system.And new members in the Jupiter posse are still being discovered. More than 400 years after Galileo Galilei discovered the first of Jupiter's moons, astronomers have found a … Only recently, (in 2018) 12 new moons were discovered by a team of astronomers at the Carnegie Institution of Science headed by Scott Shepard, taking the total to where it is today (79). At time of writing, 79 moons have been identified to orbit Jupiter. The latest survey of the region around the gas giant turned up a dozen new moons, including an oddball that was going in the wrong direction. On July 16, 2018, it was announced that a team of astronomers had found 12 previously unknown moons around the planet.. 2018 saw the discovery of 12 new moons of Jupiter, bringing the known total to 79. The planet Jupiter now has a total of 79 identified moons. A diagram of Jupiter's 79 known satellites. Though Jupiter has 79 moons, 63 of them are less than 10 km / 6.2 mi in diameter. (One exceptions is Valetudo, in green, a prograde-moving body that's far out.) 79 Moons of Jupiter and Counting. Carnegie Inst. Jupiter has the most moons of any planet and astronomers continue to discover more over time. The planet’s prograde moons (purple, blue) orbit relatively close to Jupiter while its retrograde moons (red) are farther out. Other Moons of Jupiter. Why does Jupiter have 79 moons, but Earth only has one? Jupiter has 79 known moons, the largest number of moons for a planet in the solar system, that vary in size and characteristics. It is because Jupiter’s orbit is in a rough part of the solar neighborhood and its large gravity field has snared a lot of loose rubble i.e. The big find happened last year. Twelve new moons orbiting Jupiter have been found—11 "normal" outer moons, and one that they're calling an "oddball." The new discovery brings Jupiter’s total number of moons to 79, the highest of any planet in solar system, the institute said in a statement. Io is the most geologically active object in the solar system with over 400 active volcanos.. Researchers have grouped the moons into two broad categories namely regular satellites and irregular satellites. This brings Jupiter's total number of known moons to a whopping 79… Io’s volcanos are at times so powerful that they are seen with large telescopes on Earth. It has a very thin atmosphere primarily made of sulfur dioxide. 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