An amateur astronomer spotted a new moon orbiting Jupiter
![Jupiter and some of its moons.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vnhg3Q9jT5sYJSbkuFQGYc-415-80.jpg)
From millions and millions of miles away, amateur astronomer Kai Ly made a big discovery.
In June, Ly began looking closely at telescope images of Jupiter taken by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in 2003. Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, with 79 acknowledged moons, and Ly was curious to find any new ones. While studying images from the night of Feb. 24, Ly spotted three possible moons. Moving on to images captured a few days later, Ly couldn't see two of those potential moons, but did see the third, Sky and Telescope reports.
Ly was able to further trace this moon's orbit on images taken between March and April 2003, and later in 2018. In total, there was an arc of 76 observations over 15.26 years, which made Ly feel secure in saying that this was the first planetary moon identified by an amateur astronomer. It was a pretty amazing feat, especially since Ly said the search for moons was simply "a summer hobby before I return to school."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Big Tech's answer for AI-driven job loss: universal basic income
In The Spotlight A new study reveals the strengths and limitations
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'I will not be silent' on Gaza, says Kamala Harris
Speed Read In a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Harris supported Israel's right to defend itself while expressing a desire to end Palestinian suffering
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
'How long can TikTok dominate as a social network?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Nasa's 'strangest find': pure sulphur on Mars
Under the Radar Curiosity rover discovers elemental sulphur rocks, adding to 'growing evidence' of life-sustaining elements on Red Planet
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
10 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From cell reparation to reef restoration
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
NASA, astronauts shrug off Starliner return trip delay
Speed Read Two astronauts are stuck on the International Space Station due to problems with Boeing’s Starliner
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What would a colony on the Moon look like?
Today's Big Question People could be living in lunar 'houses' by 2040, says Nasa
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Celestial events to watch in 2024
The Explainer Meteor showers, eclipses and more are coming to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What is NASA working on?
In Depth A running list of the space agency's most exciting developments
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
This year's solar storms will help future Mars astronauts
The explainer Getting to the Red Planet requires planning and a whole lot of knowledge
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The best films and documentaries about space exploration
The Week Recommends The cosmos infiltrates Planet Earth's cinemas
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published