NASA’s Webb Telescope Finds Tiny Moon Around Uranus
- The James Webb Space Telescope has identified a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus, bringing the planet's total confirmed moon count to 29.
- The moon was detected using the telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) during observations conducted in February 2025.
- Uranus currently has 28 officially named moons, all of which are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.
webb Telescope Discovers New Moon Orbiting Uranus
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Published August 19, 2025, at 23:45:03
Discovery Details
The James Webb Space Telescope has identified a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus, bringing the planet’s total confirmed moon count to 29. NASA announced the discovery on tuesday, revealing the new celestial body is approximately six miles in diameter.
The moon was detected using the telescope’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) during observations conducted in February 2025. Its faintness and small size are believed to be the reasons it remained undetected for so long, even eluding observation during the Voyager 2 spacecraft’s flyby around 40 years ago.
Uranus’s Lunar Family
Uranus currently has 28 officially named moons, all of which are named after characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. Approximately half of thes moons are smaller and orbit the planet at closer ranges. This newest addition, currently unnamed, increases the total number of known Uranian moons to 29.
The discovery highlights the Webb Telescope’s capabilities in detecting faint objects and expanding our knowledge of the outer solar system.
We’re not sitting on this one, Uranus has another Moon!
Webb discovered an unknown moon orbiting the planet, expanding its known satellite family to 29. https://t.co/uc9CdPnB7w pic.twitter.com/NM9vlAm24H
– NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) August 19, 2025
Future Research
Scientists plan to continue observing the new moon to determine its orbit more precisely and to gather more data about its composition. A formal naming process will also be initiated, following the established convention of naming Uranian moons after characters from Shakespeare and Pope.