NASA’s Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus

By: Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press Posted:

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NEW YORK (AP) — The Webb Space Telescope has spotted a new tiny moon orbiting Uranus.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/08/2025 (416 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK (AP) — The Webb Space Telescope has spotted a new tiny moon orbiting Uranus.

The new member of the lunar gang, announced Tuesday by NASA, appears to be just six miles (10 kilometers) wide. It was spotted by the telescope’s near-infrared camera during observations in February.

Scientists think it hid for so long — even eluding the Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby about 40 years ago — because of its faintness and small size.

This is an image provided by NASA shows the planet Uranus, taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986. (NASA via AP)
This is an image provided by NASA shows the planet Uranus, taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986. (NASA via AP)

Uranus has 28 known moons that are named after characters from Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. About half are smaller and orbit the planet at closer range. The new moon, still nameless, ups the planet’s total count to 29.

The new addition could hint at more bite-sized moons waiting to be found around Uranus, said planetary scientist Matthew Tiscareno with the SETI Institute, who was involved in the discovery.

“There’s probably a lot more of them and we just need to keep looking,” said Tiscareno.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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