APOD: 2019 October 17 - Moons of Saturn

Good morning, Rallypoint. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is titled "Moons of Saturn." This treasure was captured in July 2011 by the Cassini spacecraft as it was in orbit around the ringed planet. Left to right are Left to right are Janus, Pandora, Enceladus, and Mimas. Rhea is the larger moon cut off in the frame. Analysis of Cassini data has found 20 new moons orbiting Saturn. This brings the ringed planet’s total number of moons to 82, surpassing Jupiter, which has 79.

Each of the newly discovered moons is about five kilometers, or three miles, in diameter. Seventeen of them orbit the planet backwards, or in a retrograde direction, meaning their movement is opposite of the planet's rotation around its axis. The other three moons orbit in the prograde—the same direction as Saturn rotates. If you click on the APOD page, you can see where to enter a contest to name the newly discovered Moons of Saturn.