NASA's Webb Telescope Discovers New Moon Orbiting Uranus

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

The newly detected moon, provisionally designated S/2025 U1, is estimated to be approximately six miles (10 kilometers) in diameter. Its small size likely rendered it undetectable during Voyager 2's flyby nearly four decades ago.

S/2025 U1 orbits Uranus at a distance of about 35,000 miles (56,000 kilometers) from the planet's center, situated between the orbits 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 noted that Uranus has more small inner moons than any other planet, and their complex interactions with the planet's rings hint at a chaotic history. He added that the new moon's small size and faintness suggest that even more complexity remains to be discovered.

The discovery underscores the capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope in advancing our understanding of the outer solar system. Maryame El Moutamid of the Southwest Research Institute highlighted that this finding builds upon the legacy of missions like Voyager 2, which provided humanity's first close-up look at Uranus in 1986.

The newly discovered moon awaits an official name, which will be determined by the International Astronomical Union. Uranus's moons are traditionally named after characters from the works of Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.