                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2026 August 11

                             Six Moons of Saturn
                Image Credit & Copyright: Alexandre Trentini

   Explanation: How many moons does Saturn have? While the total will
   likely continue to grow, as of June 2026 the ringed gas giant had 293
   confirmed moons. That's easily more than any other planet of the Solar
   System, including ruling gas giant Jupiter with a mere 115 confirmed
   moons. Most of Saturn's known moons are small, irregular satellites.
   Many are only few kilometers to a fraction of a kilometer across and
   grouped in tilted outer orbits. Six of its largest satellites can be
   seen here, though, in this sharp telescopic Saturnian family portrait
   taken on August 5. Larger than Earth's Moon and even slightly larger
   than inner planet Mercury, Titan, with a diameter of 5,150 kilometers,
   is at lower right. You can also spot icy major moons Mimas, Tethys,
   Enceladus, Dione, and Rhea in the frame. Saturn's first known natural
   satellite, Titan was discovered in 1655 by Dutch astronomer Christiaan
   Huygens. During the space age Voyager and Cassini discoveries have
   added to the swelling ranks of Saturnian moons.

                 NASA Stream: August 12 Total Solar Eclipse.
                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
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