Astronomers discover 12 new moons around Jupiter, putting count at record-breaking 92 - CBS News

The Jupiter moons were added recently to a list kept by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center, said Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution, who was part of the team.

This photo made available by NASA shows the planet Jupiter, captured by the Hubble Space Telescope, on June 27, 2019.

/ AP "I hope we can image one of these outer moons close-up in the near future to better determine their origins," he said in an email Friday.

In April, the European Space Agency is sending a spacecraft to Jupiter to study the planet and some of its biggest, icy moons.

And next year, NASA will launch the Europa Clipper to explore Jupiter's moon of the same name, which could harbor an ocean beneath its frozen crust.

Just last month, a major study found unexpected patterns in how temperatures of Jupiter's belts and zones change over time.