TITUSVILLE, Fla., July 20 (UPI) -- NASA scientists have discovered another moon orbiting the ringed planet of Saturn thanks to a series of images from the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft.
The 1.2-mile wide moon of ice and rock was found this week as officials studied photographs taken by the space probe from Saturn's orbit in May, Space.com reported Friday. It is between the orbits of Mehone and Pallene, two moons that were discovered by Cassini in 2004.
The new moon was temporarily dubbed Frank by Cassini scientists, but will later be given an official name by the International Astronomical Union.
The space discovery marks the fifth moon the space probe has discovered while orbiting the ringed planet.
Cassini imaging team scientist Carl Murray said since the spacecraft was launched in 1997, the number of known moons around Saturn has grown drastically.
"Now, between Earth-based telescopes and Cassini we have more than tripled that number -- and each and every new discovery adds another piece to the puzzle and becomes another new world to explore," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
