Pasadena, US: Scientists have found a new faint moon hidden in one of Saturn’s outer rings.
The moon was spotted by the international Cassini spacecraft and measures about half a kilometre wide. It was announced on Tuesday in a notice by the International Astronomical Union.
Researchers have long puzzled over the formation of Saturn’s G ring, one of the planet’s more mysterious arcs. They now think the ring was formed from icy debris that scattered when meteorites crash into the new-found moon.
Scientists confirmed the moon’s existence last summer after analysing images from Cassini. Saturn has at least five dozen moons.