Astronomers have identified a previously undetected moon circling Uranus, utilizing data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
The discovery was made public by NASA on August 19, 2025. This small celestial body adds to the known satellites of the ice giant planet.
The moon, temporarily designated S/2025 U1, measures approximately six miles in diameter.
Its diminutive size equates to roughly 90 football fields laid end to end. Due to this scale, an average person could walk around its circumference in a matter of hours.
Observations captured the moon on February 2, 2025, through the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera in a sequence of ten 40-minute exposures.
The James Webb Space Telescope’s advanced infrared capabilities enabled detection of this faint object. Prior missions, including Voyager 2’s 1986 flyby, overlooked it because of its small size and low reflectivity.
The research team, led by the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, included experts like Maryame El Moutamid and Matthew Tiscareno from the SETI Institute.
El Moutamid described the find as small yet noteworthy for understanding planetary systems. Tiscareno noted the intricate ties between Uranus’ inner moons and its ring system, suggesting a dynamic past.
S/2025 U1 orbits about 35,000 miles from Uranus’ center in a nearly circular path aligned with the planet’s equator. This position places it between the moons Ophelia and Bianca. Its location implies it formed in place rather than being captured later.
Uranus now boasts 29 confirmed moons, with this addition joining 14 other small inner satellites. About half of these orbit closer to the planet than the five largest ones. The larger moons include Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon.
These major moons bear names drawn from characters in works by William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Examples include Desdemona, Trinculo, and Puck among the smaller ones. The naming convention honors British literary figures.
Discoveries of Uranus’ moons began in 1787 when William Herschel found Titania and Oberon. William Lassell added Ariel and Umbriel in 1851. Gerard Kuiper identified Miranda in 1948.
Voyager 2 revealed ten small inner moons during its 1986 encounter. Subsequent ground-based observations in the 1990s and 2000s uncovered more.
The International Astronomical Union will soon assign a permanent name to S/2025 U1.
Uranus features 13 faint rings, influenced by its inner moons. These satellites help maintain the rings’ structure through gravitational interactions. The new moon’s discovery may reveal further details about this complex environment.
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