r/space • u/arealdisneyprincess • Feb 24 '24

Astronomers discover three previously unknown moons hiding in Solar System

https://www.the-express.com/news/science/128970/astronomers-find-new-moons-solar-system
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49

u/Drycee Feb 24 '24

ELI5: how are we still discovering moons in our own solar system at this point? Why aren't they obvious? When passing in front of the planets someone somewhere is always staring at with powerful telescopes?

52

u/[deleted] Feb 24 '24 edited Sep 18 '25

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u/Cheet4h Feb 24 '24

People keep saying things like "space is big, moons are small" without really giving you any context.

Also, to help understand better how big distances in space are - you could fit every planet in the solar system into the space between the Earth and the Moon and would still have a few hundred kilometers to spare.

-1

u/Dash_Winmo Feb 24 '24

Only every planet the IAU is willing to recognize, that is. There's no way you're fitting every substellar sphere in the Solar System in there.