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Key Points

NASA's powerful Webb telescope has spotted a previously unknown moon around the ice giant Uranus. The tiny satellite, just 10km wide, was too small for the Voyager 2 probe to detect decades ago. A team from the Southwest Research Institute made the find, expanding Uranus's known family of moons to 29. The moon, currently named S/2025 U1, will receive a permanent name in the future.

Key Points: Webb Telescope Discovers New Moon Orbiting Uranus Named S/2025 U1

  • New moon S/2025 U1 is only about 10 kilometers in diameter
  • Discovery was made during a Webb observation on February 2nd, 2025
  • The moon orbits Uranus at a distance of roughly 56,000 kilometers
  • Team was led by scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI)
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NASA's Webb telescope discovers new moon orbiting Uranus

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope finds a new 10km moon around Uranus, a discovery Voyager 2 missed in 1986, bringing the planet's satellite count to 29.

"It's a small moon but a significant discovery, which is something that even NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft didn't see during its flyby nearly 40 years ago. - Maryame El Moutamid"

Washington DC, August 20

NASA announced that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a new, 29th satellite of Uranus, which was named S/2025 U1.

According to NASA, a team led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) identified the previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus during a Webb observation on 2nd February 2025, expanding the planet's known satellite family to 29.

The diameter of the satellite is estimated to be only some 10 kilometres. The satellite's small size prevented NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft from spotting it in 1986.

Maryame El Moutamid, a lead scientist in SwRI's Solar System Science and Exploration Division, said, "It's a small moon but a significant discovery, which is something that even NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft didn't see during its flyby nearly 40 years ago."

S/2025 U1 orbits Uranus at a distance of about 56,000 kilometres and will be given another name at a later stage. (ANI/ WAM)

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
While this is fascinating, I can't help but think about the cost. NASA spends billions on space exploration while we have so many problems here on Earth. Could this money be better spent?
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Arjun K
Bhagwan! 29th moon? Uranus is really collecting them like we collect cricket trophies 🇮🇳. Jokes aside, this shows how much we still don't know about our own solar system.
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Sarah B
As an astronomy student in Delhi, this is so exciting! Webb telescope is revolutionizing our understanding of space. Hope ISRO makes similar breakthroughs soon 🤞
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Vikram M
Only 10km diameter? That's smaller than many Indian cities! Amazing that we can detect something so small from 2.9 billion km away. Technology has come a long way since 1986.
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Michael C
Incredible achievement! This shows why international collaboration in science is so important. Looking forward to seeing what name they choose for it eventually.

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