If you stare at one of the giant planets of the outer solar system long enough, with a big enough telescope, you’re likely to find some moons.

That was certainly the case a couple of years ago for Saturn. A research team scanned the space near Saturn with a large telescope in Hawaii. And earlier this year, the team reported its results: a haul of 128 previously unseen moons. That brought the planet’s total to 274. That’s three times the number of moons for second-place Jupiter – at least for now.

The newly found moons are small and faint – no more than a few miles in diameter. They follow odd orbits, including some that orbit backwards – in the opposite direction from Saturn’s rotation.

Some of the moons may be chunks of space rock that were captured by the giant planet’s gravity. Others may be the remains of larger moons that were blasted apart by collisions.

About a third of the moons may be the remnants of a single impact. They form a group named Mundilfari for a Norse god related to Saturn. It’s possible the impact took place within the past hundred million years – adding lots of little moons to Saturn’s family.

Look for Saturn near our own moon the next couple of mornings. The planet looks like a bright star. It’ll stand to the lower left of the Moon at dawn tomorrow, and closer to the right of the Moon on Thursday.

Tomorrow: a passel of planets for a nearby star.

Script by Damond Benningfield