Another small moon of Uranus discovered with the James Webb space telescope
Only Jupiter and Saturn have more moons than Uranus in the solar system. Now another one has been added, bringing the total number to 29.
S/2025 U 1 and 11 previously known Uranus moons
(Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. El Moutamid (SwRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho))
A research team from the USA has discovered a previously unknown moon of Uranus in images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. The celestial body with the provisional designation S/2025 U 1 is the 29th moon of the seventh planet in our solar system. The moon was found in a series of images taken on February 2 of this year, in which it appears just behind the inner rings. With a diameter of probably around 10 kilometers, it is one of the smallest companions of the ice giant; Voyager 2, the only space probe to have passed by there so far, has not been able to discover it.
Still nameless so far
(Image:Â Southwest Research Institute)
Uranus is located in the outer solar system and is primarily known for its extreme obliquity. Because its axis of rotation lies almost in its orbital plane, it appears to roll around the sun. Its five main moons were discovered between 1787 and 1948 and named Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon and Miranda after characters from the works of the English writers William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. This naming convention was also retained for the other moons discovered from the 1980s onwards, which is why the team responsible for the most recent discovery now reads a lot, as research leader Maryame El Moutamid explains. A Uranus moon discovered in early 2024 also does not yet have an official name.
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The discovery has now also cemented Uranus' place as the planet with the second most moons in our solar system. With its 29 moons, however, it is well behind the two frontrunners: While Jupiter currently has 97 known companions, we now know of as many as 274 moons on Saturn. 128 of these were only discovered a few months ago, and those responsible for this also assume that Jupiter will not be able to catch up. While the four outer planets together have hundreds of moons, only two out of four planets in the inner solar system have any at all –. Mars and Earth only have three between them.
(mho)
