Saturn is well known for its rings, but is it true that it is also the one planet in the solar system with the most moons?
WHEN we think of Saturn, the first image that comes to mind is usually its stunning rings.
But the gas giant has another impressive feature that makes it stand out in our solar system, its moons
Is it true that Saturn is the planet with the most moons in our solar system?
Verdict:
TRUE
In March 2025, the International Astronomical Union recognised the discovery of a whopping 128 more moons orbiting around Saturn, bringing its total of confirmed moons to 274.
This far outnumbers Jupiter's 95 confirmed moons, making Saturn the undisputed champion of lunar companions in our solar system.
The finding was made by a team of astronomers from Taiwan, Canada, the United States and France, which first saw signs that there were more moons between 2019 and 2021.
However, Saturn's moons aren't all like ours. They range in size from tiny moonlets (also known as irregular moons), which are only a few kilometres across in diameter, to large moons with substantial atmospheres.
Astronomer Dr Edward Ashton, a postdoctoral fellow at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Taiwan who was part of the team of researchers that made the discovery, told Scientific American that what's most interesting about their finding was that whilst the number of large moons didn't differ much between the planets, Saturn has an unusually large number of small moons.
He suggested it was likely due to "a recent collision within the Saturnian system that produced a large number of fragments".
He added that it was unlikely that Jupiter would be able to catch up, so Saturn is probably over the moon with that news.
References:
1. 128 New Moons Found Orbiting Saturn in Mindblowing Discovery
https://www.sciencealert.com/128-new-moons-found-orbiting-saturn-in-mindblowing-discovery
2. Saturn overtakes Jupiter as planet with the most moons
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/65597582
3. How One Astronomer Helped to Discover Nearly 200 Moons of Saturn
