MONTREAL, Jan 13: Canadian and US astronomers have discovered three more moons orbiting Neptune, which previously had eight known satellites, the National Research Council Canada said on Monday.

The newly found moons, which are 30 to 40 kilometres in diameter, are considered irregular satellites — meaning they were not formed at the same time as Neptune but were captured by the planet’s gravitational pull.

The scientists believe the moons are the rubble created by a collision between an earlier moon and a comet or asteroid.

“During these collisions, part of the initial mother moon was ejected, producing a family of satellites,” the NRC’s J.J. Kavelaars told AFP.

Kavelaars headed the team of astronomers, along with Mathhew Holman of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Including the new discoveries, the gas giant planet has six regular satellites, found by the Voyager II probe in 1989, and five irregular ones.—AFP