Jupiter Moons-Anything Goes

Anything Goes

Scientists recently discovered that the solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter, has 12 more moons, bringing the total to 79 natural satellites circling the fifth planet.

The odd part of this discovery is that one of the newly found moons is on a crash course with others circling the gas giant, the Guardian reported.

Scientists discovered the dozen satellites while searching for a mysterious ninth planet believed to hide beyond Neptune’s orbit, the farthest planet of the solar system.

Interestingly, nine of the newly discovered moons circle in a direction opposite to the planet’s spin – known as a retrograde orbit. Two others circle in the same direction as Jupiter’s spin – prograde – and are located closer to the planet.

The twelfth new moon – and odd one out – circles in a prograde fashion, but its orbit is located near the moons that follow a retrograde movement. A collision is likely, the researchers said.

Named Valetudo, after the Roman goddess of health and hygiene, the moon is only less than half a mile wide.

“Valetudo is … driving down the highway on the wrong side of the road,” said Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC, who led the effort that discovered the moons.

The British newspaper quipped that the name choice might be ironic, since “vale tudo” – meaning “anything goes” in Portuguese – is a form of mixed martial arts originating in Brazil.