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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.
The most massive of the moons are the four Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, which were independently discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius and were the first objects found to orbit a body that was neither Earth nor the Sun.
There are 95 known moons of Jupiter, as of 1 November 2023. Jupiter has the second largest number of moons of any planet in the Solar System. The most massive of the moons are the four Galilean moons, which were independently discovered in 1610 by Galileo Galilei and Simon Marius. They were the first objects found to orbit a body that was ...
Scientists are getting so good at spotting tiny moons orbiting distant, giant planets that the International Astronomical Union has decided the smallest will no longer be given mythological names unless they are of “significant” scientific interest. Explore all of Jupiter's moons.
Jun 8, 2023 · Jupiter's official moons: Names and discovery dates. Here is a list of 57 officially named moons of Jupiter along with details on their discovery, according to NASA.
Aug 21, 2023 · All Moons of Jupiter. Most of Jupiter's swarms of smaller moons orbit much farther out than the Galilean satellites. Of these distant moons, the larger ones may be captured asteroids. The smaller ones are likely fragments from massive collisions.
Jupiter has four large moons which were discovered by Galileo in 1610 using a 20-power telescope. These moons are known as the Galilean moons and they are called Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Jupiter also has dozens of other smaller moons that are thought to have originated from passing asteroids.
MOONS OF JUPITER. Planet Jupiter has 80 moons. Ganymede, the largest moon, is actually larger than the planet Mercury. Ocean moons. Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa are believed to harbor subsurface water oceans while Io may have a subsurface magma ocean.
The charts below show the changing positions of Jupiter's four largest Moons, which are easily visible through a pair of modest binoculars or a small telescope as a series of pinpoints of light around Jupiter.
Galilean Moons of JupiterThe planet Jupiter’s four largest moons, or satellites, are called the Galilean moons, after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, ho observed them in 1610. The German astronomer Simon Marius apparently discovered.
