Updated
Updated · apod.nasa.gov · Aug 11
Saturn Reaches 293 Confirmed Moons, Outnumbering Jupiter's 115
Updated
Updated · apod.nasa.gov · Aug 11

Saturn Reaches 293 Confirmed Moons, Outnumbering Jupiter's 115

3 articles · Updated · apod.nasa.gov · Aug 11

Summary

  • As of June 2026, Saturn had 293 confirmed moons, giving the ringed planet by far the largest known moon count in the solar system.
  • Most of those satellites are small, irregular bodies only a few kilometers to fractions of a kilometer across, clustered in tilted outer orbits.
  • Titan remains Saturn's standout moon at 5,150 kilometers wide—larger than Earth's Moon and slightly bigger than Mercury—while Mimas, Tethys, Enceladus, Dione and Rhea are also among its major moons.
  • Saturn's tally has grown from Titan's 1655 discovery through the Voyager and Cassini eras, and the report says the total will likely keep rising.

Insights

Could Saturn's iconic rings actually be the shattered remains of a lost moon destroyed just 100 million years ago?
With 293 confirmed satellites, should astronomers redefine what officially counts as a moon to exclude tiny collision fragments?
Could the methane lakes of Titan or the subsurface ocean of Enceladus currently harbor hidden microbial life?