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All together, Jupiter's moons form a satellite system called the Jovian system. 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.
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.
Jupiter has 95 moons that have been officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union. But the number doesn't capture the complexity of the Jovian system of moons, rings and asteroids. The giant planet has thousands of small objects in its orbit.
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, boasts a whopping 95 moons, making it the second-most populous planet in terms of its companions (Saturn has the most moons.)
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.
With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms a kind of miniature solar system. Jupiter has 80 moons. Fifty-seven moons have been given official names by the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
NASA’s real-time science encyclopedia of deep space exploration. Our scientists and far-ranging robots explore the wild frontiers of our solar system.
Jupiter has 95 moons that are officially recognized by the International Astronomical Union. The 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.
Jupiter, the most massive planet in the solar system and the fifth in distance from the Sun. It is one of the brightest objects in the night sky; only the Moon, Venus, and sometimes Mars are more brilliant. Jupiter takes nearly 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun, and it rotates once about every 10 hours.
Jupiter’s Galilean moons are the closest large moons to Earth, and are therefore the most easily visible through a small telescope. Today, NASA’s Juno mission is in orbit around Jupiter, getting opportunities to observe some of its moons.