On July 29, 2011, the Cassini mission captured 5 of Saturn’s moons in a single body with its narrow-angle digicam.
| Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Last week, the Minor Planet Centre (MPC) introduced 15 new moons had been discovered, 4 round Jupiter and 11 round Saturn. The Jovian moons had been discovered by the U.S.-based Scott Sheppard and David Tholen and the Saturnian ones by a workforce led by Edward Ashton in Taiwan.
The MPC is the world’s main repository for all observations of small our bodies in the photo voltaic system. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory below the International Astronomical Union, and performs a significant position in monitoring asteroids, comets, and the moons of the outer planets.
When astronomers uncover a brand new object, they ship their knowledge to the MPC, the place specialists confirm the observations and calculate the object’s orbit. If the discovery is new, the MPC assigns it an official designation. This course of ensures each recognized minor planet has a singular identification and a predictable path.
One of the MPC’s most important jobs entails monitoring near-earth objects (NEOs). NEOs are area rocks that might doubtlessly threaten the earth. With assist from NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, MPC maintains a big database that enables scientists to foretell if and when a rock may come near the earth.
The MPC additionally facilitates communication inside the world scientific group by publishing digital circulars that alert researchers to new discoveries or fascinating celestial occasions. These updates permit observatories worldwide to coordinate their efforts and collect extra knowledge rapidly.
Published – March 22, 2026 07:30 pm IST
