Astronomers discover four new moons orbiting Saturn

Astronomers believe they have discovered four more objects orbiting Saturn

PASADENA, California (CNN) -- An international team of astronomers announced Wednesday they have discovered four more moons orbiting the planet Saturn.

If confirmed, the additional moons will give Saturn a total of 22, the most of any planet in the solar system. Uranus has 21 bodies orbiting it.

The new moons are all considered "outer" moons, meaning they are orbiting more that 9 million miles from the planet. Analysis of their brightness suggests they measure about 6 to 30 miles across and all have irregular, "long and looping" orbits, as opposed to perfectly circular orbits with the planet in the center, the astronomers said.

In comparison, the Earth's moon is 2,160 miles in diameter and maintains a fairly circular orbit about 225,000 miles out.

The announcement was made at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Division for Planetary Sciences in Pasadena.

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