Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and by far the largest. It is more than twice as massive as all the other planets combined (318 relative to Earth). It orbits 777.330.000 km (5,20 AU) from the Sun, and its equatorial diameter is 142.984 km.

Astronomers have discovered 12 new moons orbiting Jupiter. With that, the number of moons orbiting this planet is now 92. Until now, it was thought that Saturn, with its 83 moons, has the most moons in our Solar System. Previously, new moons were spotted on Jupiter in 2021 and 2022 with telescopes in Hawaii and Chile, but now the discovery has been confirmed. The newly discovered moons have a diameter of 1 to 3 kilometers, it says "Interestingeng ineering".

With strong evidence for an ocean of liquid water beneath its icy crust, Jupiter's moon Europa could have conditions suitable for life. In 2024, our spacecraft will set off to take a closer look.

Join us: https://t.co/rORF6MHEhc pic.twitter.com/rtLmhpIrdp

— NASA Europa Clipper (@EuropaClipper) January 26, 2023

The European Space Agency plans to send a probe to Jupiter in April that will orbit the planet and three of its moons. The probe will travel for seven years to reach its destination. Next year, the US space agency NASA plans to send a mission to Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, which some scientists think may harbor life forms.

Many moons of Jupiter and Saturn are believed to have formed due to collisions with larger, older moons and asteroids. Since the creation of the Solar System, Jupiter has in some way protected the Earth from asteroid impacts because it is larger and thus has a stronger gravity.

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