Question

A planet having the largest number of satellites amongst the following is
A. Jupiter
B. Saturn
C. Uranus
D. Mars

Answer 1

Hint: Satellite is either natural or artificial. An artificial body placed by us (humans) in the orbit of any planets qualifies as an artificial satellite. A celestial body that orbits earth or any other planet is a natural satellite of that planet (like moon).

Complete step by step answer:
For the planets mentioned in the options, we should resort to comparing their natural satellites only as we don't have too many artificial satellites around these planets.
Galileo Galilei was the first person to use a telescope to observe the skies. He is credited for the discovery of four moons of Jupiter in 1610. Ever since then astronomers have discovered various moons of different planets in our solar system. Since the 1990's Jupiter has had a major lead in terms of the number of moons. But in a recent report dated October 2019 published in various newspapers, 20 new moons of Saturn have been discovered by the use of a ground based telescope in Hawaii. Thus, according to the latest data, Saturn now has about 82 moons of its own and Jupiter has a total of about 79 moons.
Therefore, Saturn has the largest number of moons in our Solar system. So, the correct answer is option (B).

Additional information:
In terms of artificial satellites, Earth is definitely the one with the highest number. Thousands of satellites have been launched into Earth's Orbit for the purpose of communication. Satellites provide a better range for transmission of signals.

Note:
With regards to the options given in the question one must be updated with the data otherwise it is quite obvious to choose Jupiter as the planet with the highest number of satellites, as one might assume that since it has more mass so it must also have more gravity to keep more moons around it.