In a groundbreaking development for space exploration, astronomers have announced the discovery of 15 new moons within our solar system that had remained hidden until now. This latest finding brings the grand total of known natural satellites orbiting planets and dwarf planets to a staggering 442. The discovery has reignited the fierce “moon war” between the two gas giants—Saturn and Jupiter—as they continue to compete for the title of the ‘Moon King.’

According to the Minor Planet Center, out of the 15 newly identified objects, 11 are orbiting Saturn, while 4 belong to Jupiter. With this addition, Saturn’s moon tally has soared to 285, firmly cementing its position as the planet with the highest number of satellites. Jupiter, however, has also made history by crossing the century mark, with its total count now standing at 101. These new moons are relatively tiny irregular satellites, averaging just about 3 kilometers (2 miles) in diameter, which explains why they eluded detection for so long.

The team behind the discovery, led by renowned astronomers Scott Sheppard, David Tholen, and Edward Ashton, utilized high-powered telescopes in Chile and Hawaii. They had to use advanced image-stacking techniques to capture these incredibly faint objects, which are millions of times dimmer than the Moon we see from Earth. Scientists believe these small moons are likely fragments of larger parent bodies that shattered during violent collisions billions of years ago. As missions like NASA’s Europa Clipper and ESA’s JUICE head toward the outer solar system, experts predict that hundreds more of these “hidden gems” are waiting to be found in the coming decade.