A lot has been happening in space; Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson made their debut flights to space, and now the official tally of Jupiter’s moons has increased. Scientists have discovered yet another moon orbiting the gas giant.

The planet already has around 80 moons, with more coming to light regularly, notes Space.com. But even if it’s one of the many, the new moon S/2003J24 is unique in its own ways. It is the first planetary moon to be found by an amateur researcher named Kai Ly. “I’m proud to say that this is the first planetary moon discovered by an amateur astronomer!” Ly told Sky and Telescope.

Result of years of observations

Based on her observations, which have been sent to but yet to be published in academic journals, it was evident that a space rock previously imaged by NASA in 2003 was actually a moon. It is a part of the Carme group, which is a cluster of 24 space rocks that feature a 28-mile-wide asteroid that’s trapped in the gas giant’s orbit, as per Sky and Telescope.

Even though NASA had observed the moon before, it was Ly’s efforts over the years using several telescopes that allowed her to discover the orbit of the S/2003J24. While this is a great discovery, it also points at the fact that there are countless objects yet to be discovered in our own stellar neighborhood.

Jupiter mysteries unfurled

Space agencies across the globe have been working on developing bigger and more efficient telescopes to explore the uncharted corners of the universe.

Recently, scientists from the University College London claimed to have understood how Jupiter produces bursts of X-rays every few minutes. The X-rays are a part of Jupiter’s aurora, visible bursts of light that appear when charged particles interact with its atmosphere. The same phenomenon occurs as northern lights on Earth.