NASA's Webb Telescope Discovers New Moon Orbiting Uranus

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has identified a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus, increasing the planet's known satellites to 29. The discovery was made during observations on February 2, 2025, using the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam).

The newly found moon, provisionally designated S/2025 U1, is estimated to be approximately 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter. Its small size and faintness likely contributed to its eluding detection by earlier missions, including Voyager 2's flyby nearly four decades ago.

Located about 35,000 miles (56,000 kilometers) from Uranus' center, S/2025 U1 orbits between the paths of the moons Ophelia and Bianca. Its nearly circular orbit suggests it may have formed near its current location.

Matthew Tiscareno of the SETI Institute, a member of the research team, noted, "No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus, and their complex inter-relationships with the rings hint at a chaotic history that blurs the boundary between a ring system and a system of moons." He added that the new moon's diminutive size and faintness indicate that "even more complexity remains to be discovered."

The International Astronomical Union will approve a name for the newly discovered moon, continuing Uranus' tradition of naming its moons after characters from the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

This discovery underscores the James Webb Space Telescope's capability to enhance our understanding of the outer solar system, building upon the legacy of missions like Voyager 2, which provided humanity's first close-up look at Uranus in 1986.