2017
Search results
Moons of Jupiter. A montage of Jupiter and its four largest moons (distance and sizes not to scale) There are 95 moons of Jupiter with confirmed orbits as of 5 February 2024. [1] [note 1] This number does not include a number of meter-sized moonlets thought to be shed from the inner moons, nor hundreds of possible kilometer-sized outer ...
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and has, as of 2023, 95 known moons. The four largest moons of Jupiter—Io, Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa—were the first objects in the solar system discovered with a telescope. Galileo discovered them in 1610, and they are now called the Galilean satellites.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Jupiter's four largest moons were the first moons discovered beyond Earth. They are called the Galilean satellites after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who is credited with their discovery in 1610. German astronomer Simon Marius observed them around the same time, but is largely forgotten because he published his findings after Galileo.
Aug 21, 2023 · Galileo Galilei spotted the first Jupiter moons in 1610 with a new invention called a telescope. German astronomer Simon Marius found Jupiter's moons about the same time as Galileo, but Galileo was first to report the moons and is credited with their discovery. Modern astronomer Scott S. Sheppard has discovered the most moons of Jupiter ...
Jun 8, 2023 · Jupiter's second-largest moon Callisto is the third-largest moon in the solar system. The moon's surface is thought to be about 4 billion years old , making it the oldest icy surface in the solar ...
Jupiter has 80 moons. Fifty-seven moons have been given official names by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Another 23 moons are awaiting names. Jupiter's four largest moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – were first observed by the astronomer Galileo Galilei in 1610 using an early version of the telescope.
In Depth. This site is maintained by the Planetary Science Communications team at and for . NASA’s real-time science encyclopedia of deep space exploration. Our scientists and far-ranging robots explore the wild frontiers of our solar system.
