NASA’s James Webb Telescope discovers a new moon around Uranus

In a recent breakthrough, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) made an exciting discovery, a new moon orbiting Uranus. Named S/2025 U1, the tiny moon is just about 10 kilometres (6 miles) in diameter, yet its detection marks a major breakthrough. Even NASA’s Voyager 2, which flew past Uranus nearly four decades ago, missed it. The discovery was made on 2 February 2025 using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which can capture extremely faint objects invisible to traditional telescopes. This finding not only increases Uranus’ known moons to 29 but also provides fresh insights into the planet’s complex moon and ring system, revealing its dynamic history.Uranus is already known for its unusual features, including its tilted axis and beautiful ring system. Now, with this new moon, the planet’s moon count rises to 29, making its satellite system even more fascinating. Scientists believe this moon orbits about 56,000 kilometres (35,000 miles) from Uranus’ centre, positioned between two other moons, Ophelia and Bianca. Its small size and faint brightness explain why it remained undetected for so long. Discoveries like this help scientists understand how Uranus’ moons and rings formed, offering clues about the planet’s turbulent history.The discovery was made using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), which can detect extremely faint objects that normal telescopes cannot see. Astronomers captured a series of long-exposure images over six hours to confirm the moon’s presence. Unlike visible-light telescopes, Webb observes in infrared, which is perfect for spotting small, distant objects in the outer solar system. This advanced technology allows scientists to study details of Uranus’ rings, atmosphere, and moons like never before.Uranus stands out in our solar system because it has more small inner moons than any other planet. These moons interact with Uranus’ ring system in complex ways, suggesting a chaotic past where moons and rings may have collided or broken apart. The newly discovered moon adds another piece to this puzzle. Experts believe there may still be more tiny moons waiting to be found, which could reveal even more about Uranus’ history and the evolution of its rings. Future observations using Webb could uncover these hidden moons.The moon currently has the temporary designation S/2025 U1, but it will eventually receive an official name approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Like Uranus’ other moons, it will likely be named after a character from Shakespeare or Alexander Pope’s works. This discovery is just the beginning, NASA scientists say the Webb Telescope will continue exploring Uranus and other distant planets, opening new chapters in space exploration. Nearly four decades after Voyager 2 gave us our first close-up look at Uranus, Webb is taking us even deeper into the mysteries of the outer solar system.Also read | New Hubble photo shows cotton candy-like nebula in a nearby dwarf galaxy