There are 288 discovered natural satellites – or moons, as they are colloquially known – in the Solar system. Most of these are found in the outer gas giants. However, many of these have not received proper names as they were discovered recently and have yet to be confirmed. Only 164 moons have proper names.
Out of those, there is one moon whose name starts with the letter V.
| Name | Planet | Name meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Valetudo | Jupiter | Roman goddess of health and hygiene |
Valetudo
Valetudo is one of Jupiter’s smallest known moons, discovered in 2016 by Scott Sheppard and his team, though it wasn’t announced until 2018. Named after the Roman goddess of health and hygiene (granddaughter of Jupiter), this tiny moon is only about 1 kilometer in diameter. What makes Valetudo particularly interesting is its unusual orbit – it is the only known prograde moon in Jupiter’s outer moon system, meaning it orbits in the opposite direction from nearby moons. This puts it at risk of potential collisions with other moons, earning it the nickname “oddball” moon. Its orbit crosses the paths of several other moons, suggesting it may be the remnant of a larger moon that was broken apart by collisions.
Click on a letter below for a list of moons that begin with it.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
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For more on how moons are named check out this article.