{"id":886,"date":"2024-08-24T20:54:21","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T20:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lunar.org\/wp\/?p=886"},"modified":"2024-08-24T20:54:21","modified_gmt":"2024-08-24T20:54:21","slug":"septembers-night-sky-notes-marvelous-moons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lunar.org\/wp\/?p=886","title":{"rendered":"September\u2019s Night Sky Notes: Marvelous Moons"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kat Troche\"\"<\/a>
\nNASA JPL<\/p>\n

September brings the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn back into view, along with their satellites. And while we organize celebrations to observe our own Moon this month, be sure to grab a telescope or binoculars to see other moons within our Solar System! We recommend observing these moons (and planets!) when they are at their highest in the night sky, to get the best possible unobstructed views.<\/p>\n

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The More the Merrier<\/h2>\n

As of September 2024, the ringed planet Saturn has 146 identified moons in its orbit. These celestial bodies range in size; the smallest being a few hundred feet across, to Titan, the second largest moon in our solar system.<\/p>\n

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The Saturnian system along with various moons around the planet Saturn: Iapetus, Titan, Enceladus, Rhea, Tethys, and Dione. Credit: Stellarium Web<\/p>\n

Even at nearly 900 million miles away, Titan<\/a> can be easily spotted next to Saturn with a 4-inch telescope, under urban and suburban skies, due to its sheer size. With an atmosphere of mostly nitrogen with traces of hydrogen and methane, Titan was briefly explored in 2005 with the Huygens probe<\/a> as part of the Cassini-Huygens mission<\/a>, providing more information about the surface of Titan. NASA\u2019s mission Dragonfly<\/a> is set to explore the surface of Titan in the 2030s.<\/p>\n

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This mosaic of Saturn’s moon Enceladus was created with images captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft on Oct. 9, 2008, after the spacecraft came within about 16 miles (25 kilometers) of the surface of Enceladus. Credit: NASA\/JPL\/Space Science Institute<\/p>\n

Saturn\u2019s moon Enceladus<\/a> was also explored by the Cassini mission, revealing plumes of ice that erupt from below the surface, adding to the brilliance of Saturn\u2019s rings. Much like our own Moon, Enceladus remains tidally locked with Saturn, presenting the same side towards its host planet at all times.<\/p>\n

The Galilean Gang<\/h2>\n

The King of the Planets might not have the most moons, but four of Jupiter\u2019s 95 moons are definitely the easiest to see with a small pair of binoculars or a small telescope because they form a clear line. The Galilean Moons \u2013 Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa \u2013 were first discovered in 1610 and they continue to amaze stargazers across the globe.<\/p>\n

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The Jovian system: Europa, Io, Ganymede, and Callisto. Credit: Stellarium Web<\/p>\n