APOD: 2026 August 11 – Six Moons of Saturn
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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:
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)
NASA Official: Amber Straughn
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