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Webb Spots Tiny Uranus Moon, Lifting Planet’s Tally to 29

Webb’s infrared imaging revealed a faint object near Uranus’s rings, with confirmation and naming still pending.

The moon, designated S/2025 U1, as well as 13 of the 28 other known moons orbiting the Uranus.
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The James Webb Space Telescope detected a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus.

Overview

  • The satellite, provisionally designated S/2025 U1, is estimated to be about 6 miles (10 kilometers) in diameter.
  • It orbits roughly 35,000 miles (56,000 kilometers) from Uranus’s center in the equatorial plane between Ophelia and Bianca on a near-circular path.
  • Researchers identified it in ten 40‑minute exposures taken by JWST’s NIRCam on Feb. 2 as part of a General Observer program.
  • The finding increases Uranus’s known moons to 29, and scientists say the object is smaller and fainter than previously known inner moons.
  • The result awaits peer review and an official IAU name, and its faintness likely explains why Voyager 2 did not detect it, hinting that more tiny moons may await discovery.