Astronomers have recently discovered three previously undiscovered moons in our solar system: two orbiting around Neptune and one around Uranus.

The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center announced on Friday that they had observed the distant, small moons using high-tech telescopes located in Hawaii and Chile.

The most recent count shows that Neptune has 16 confirmed moons and Uranus has 28.

Astronomer Scott Sheppard, from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, has discovered that one of Neptune’s recently discovered moons has the longest orbital period recorded. This small outer moon takes approximately 27 years to orbit the vast icy planet, which is the farthest from the sun.

The moon circling Uranus, which is approximately 5 miles (8 kilometers) in diameter, is believed to be the tiniest of all the moons orbiting the planet.

He stated that there could potentially be numerous smaller moons that have yet to be found.

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Source: wral.com