Nasa's Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus
It was spotted by the telescope's near-infrared camera during observations in February.
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
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.
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.
This newest addition, still nameless, ups the planet's total moon count to 29.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
If aliens find Earth, they'll probably come from this direction
Humans dream of finding life on Mars — but could our fascination with this neighbouring planet broadcast our existence to aliens who live much further away? A review of the most powerful signals that humans have sent into space has shed light on how extraterrestrials might find us. The study analysed the logs of Nasa's Deep Space Network (DSN), an array of radio dishes in California, Spain and Australia that communicate with the agency's far-flung spacecraft. It concluded that the bulk of humanity's most powerful, persistent signals into the cosmos had been directed not at distant stars but at machines orbiting or roving the red planet. Mars does not block these signals, so they continue to stream out into space, along paths that align with it and Earth.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Solar panels in space ‘could provide 80% of Europe's renewable energy by 2050'
Solar panels in space could cut Europe's terrestrial renewable energy needs by 80% by 2050, a study has found. Using a detailed computer model of the continent's future power grid, the researchers found that a system of space-based panels designed by Nasa could reduce the cost of the whole European power system by as much as 15%. It could also cut battery use by more than two-thirds. The study, led by researchers at King's College London, is the first to assess the possible impact of space solar energy on Europe. The space-based solar panel (SBSP) that yielded the positive results uses a heliostat design. The design, which the system imitates, uses mirror-like reflectors to collect sunlight in orbit. The sunlight is then transmitted to stations on Earth and converted to electricity before it is delivered to an energy grid. The computer model of the continent's power grid spans 33 countries, and simulates electricity demand, generation and storage to identify the lowest-cost option to meet Europe's electricity needs. When the researchers integrated the SBSP concept into the model based on Nasa's predictions of its potential energy capacity, results showed that it could replace as much as 80% of Europe's land-based renewable energy. Land-based renewable energy is irregular and weather-dependent, complicating reliable supply, and comes at varying costs, the researchers point out. SBSPs could be an alternative centralised energy resource that operates above the atmosphere with continuous gigawatt-scale power. The authors note that the modelling does not account for potential impacts from space-specific challenges such as orbital congestion, transmission interruptions or beaming variability, which could influence SBSP reliability and operational performance. Nor could the potential cost-effectiveness of SBSPs be realised until 2050 because building, launching and maintaining them would be too expensive unless technological growth reduces its costs. Dr Wei He, a senior lecturer at KCL's engineering department and lead author of the study, which is published in Joule, said: 'There are some risks to consider, such as how the satellite in space could have too many solar panels. Could it cause collisions or be damaged by debris in space?' Despite those risks, Wei believes the research shows that have the potential to help countries in achieving net zero. 'Renewable energy to replace fossil fuels is the most important action we are taking as humans. Space-based solar power is a potential technology and can provide continuous solar power as a renewable energy source,' he said. Japan is already developing SBSPs and integrating them into its space and net-zero strategy, Wei said. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Europe could follow suit, the paper suggests, mentioning the continent's longstanding tradition of multinational cooperation of cross-border electricity exchange and satellite ventures under the European Space Agency. The authors believe Europe could leverage its multinational cooperation to develop and operate a centralized SBSP infrastructure. In doing so, it could create a continent-scale solution to provide stable, baseload-scale renewable supply, reducing the continent's reliance on gas-fired power. 'Now is the time,' Wei said.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Harvard scientist says interstellar object on course for Earth could be nuclear-powered in latest wild claim
A prominent Harvard astrophysicist has claimed that a mysterious object moving through our solar system could be a nuclear-powered spacecraft. Professor Avi Loeb, director of the Galileo Project, which hunts for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, said the interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS exhibits characteristics suggesting it is not a typical comet, contrary to NASA 's assessment. One of those signs is the appearance that the object is generating its own light, suggesting to Loeb that the light comes from a source of nuclear energy on the 3I/ATLAS' surface. The light was seen in a recent photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on July 21, which appeared as a glowing area focused on the side of the object facing the sun. 'Usually, for comets, you see a cometary tail trailing the objects from behind because it's being pushed by the radiation from the sun. The dust particles are being pushed to be behind, to lag behind the object,' Loeb told NewsNation. 'In this case, what we are seeing is a glow in front of the object,' he explained. However, not everyone is so convinced. Chris Lintott, an astronomer at the University of Oxford, told Live Science: 'Any suggestion that it's artificial is nonsense on stilts.' He added that these claims are an 'insult to the exciting work going on to understand this object.' Loeb has admitted the most likely outcome will be discovering that the object is indeed a large comet, similar to the interstellar comet 2I/Borisov, which passed through our solar system in 2019. He added that scientists will have a better idea of what 3I/ATLAS really is as it moves closer to Earth later this year. The object will make its closest approach to Earth on December 17, before leaving our solar system in early 2026. Until then, Loeb said his analysis remains rooted in observational data. Loeb explained that the light signature doesn't seem natural because 3I/ATLAS would need to be over 12 miles long to produce such a bright reflection of light from the sun if it were truly a comet. And it doesn't make sense for such a massive object to be floating around freely between solar systems, the professor added. 'There isn't enough rocky material in interstellar space to deliver a rock of that size earlier than 10,000 years from now, so the question is what is it?' Loeb told NewsNation. Loeb, the Frank B Baird Jr Professor of Science at Harvard, also revealed that the object's course through our solar system shows all the markers of being guided by an unknown intelligence. 3I/ATLAS is projected to follow an extremely unusual path that will take it close to three different planets: Venus, Mars, and Jupiter. The astrophysicist and UFO researcher explained that the object's course was so rare that the chance of a natural space rock randomly flying along such a path was less than 0.005 percent, or one in 20,000 odds. 'It indicates that perhaps it was designed by some intelligence. Not necessarily [steering it] but the trajectory itself was chosen to be such that this object will pass close to Mars, Venus, and Jupiter,' Loeb said. 'I'm just saying we should observe it. It doesn't look like it's a random occurrence,' he added. The scientist also revealed that he has spoken with Florida congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, who has been in charge of the House Oversight Committee's task force on declassifying information surrounding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs). According to Loeb, Luna has already contacted NASA about diverting the Juno space probe orbiting Jupiter to intercept and investigate 3I/ATLAS. Despite having support from the influential congresswoman, at least one UFO investigator has said that moving Juno would be a bad idea. Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart said Loeb's theory that 3I/ATLAS could be a nuclear spacecraft isn't shared by many in the scientific community. 'I just don't think, from talking to many astronomers, that it's a good idea to go diverting existing spacecraft – for example, Juno in orbit around Jupiter – or suggesting these are necessarily alien probes with hostile intent,' Coulthart told NewsNation earlier this month. 'It's inflammatory and frankly, there's not a lot of evidence for it,' he added. Coulthart claimed that Loeb's theory about the interstellar object was born out of frustration with the lack of federal funding going towards projects looking for intelligent life in the cosmos. In May, Loeb was a guest speaker at Congresswoman Luna's hearing on UAPs, advocating for more resources in the hunt for extraterrestrial signals and UFO detection.
