Latest news with #space
CNET
13 minutes ago
- Science
- CNET
The James Webb Space Telescope Has Found a New Moon Orbiting Uranus
No joke: Science has found a new teeny, tiny moon orbiting Uranus. NASA announced on Tuesday that the James Webb Space Telescope found yet another moon floating around Uranus, an ice giant that already had 13 other known moons. The discovery was made thanks to images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. A team out of the Southwest Research Institute noticed an unfamiliar object that appeared to be orbiting around Uranus. The images have been stitched together in a slideshow on YouTube that shows the moon, which orbits much closer around Uranus than its 13 other known moons. "This object was spotted in a series of 10 40-minute long-exposure images captured by the Near-Infrared Camera," said lead scientist Maryame El Moutamid. "It's a small moon but a significant discovery, which is something even NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft didn't see during its flyby nearly 40 years ago." In terms of size, this moon is indeed small at around six miles in diameter. For reference, Earth's moon is 2,159 miles in diameter and the largest moon in our solar system, Jupiter's Ganymede, is 3,270 miles. The moon also has a circular orbit, per the SwRI team, meaning that it likely formed in the same area where it currently orbits. Uranus' 14th moon orbits closer to its rings than most of the other moons. NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. El Moutamid (SwRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho). Animation: J. DePasquale (STScI) Better name TBA Despite obtaining a 14th moon, which NASA is calling S/2025 U1, Uranus has a long way to go to compete with Jupiter and Saturn, which have 95 and 274 confirmed moons, respectively. However, Uranus is the king of tiny moons. "No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus," said Matthew Tiscareno, research member of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California. Since S/2025 U1 is so much smaller than the known moons, Tiscareno posits that there may be even more small moons drifting around that have yet to be discovered. NASA does note that this research hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, so the for-now clunkily named S/2025 U1 may be yet dismissed as a non-moon. However, if it is confirmed, the moon will receive a (better, we hope) name from the International Astronomical Union and become completely official.
The Verge
an hour ago
- Science
- The Verge
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has found a new moon orbiting Uranus.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has found a new moon orbiting Uranus. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) hasn't given it a name yet, but NASA has announced that astronomers discovered a new moon orbiting Uranus using images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope's near-infrared camera last February. Currently designated S/2025 U1, the tiny moon's estimated to be around six miles in diameter which is potentially why it wasn't previously spotted by Voyager 2 or other telescopes. It's located about 35,000 miles from the center of Uranus in an orbit between Ophelia and Bianca.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- Science
- CTV News
NASA's Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus
This is an image provided by NASA shows the planet Uranus, taken by the spacecraft Voyager 2 in 1986. (NASA via AP) NEW YORK — 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 kilometres) 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. 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. Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Nasa's Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus
The Webb Space Telescope has spotted a new tiny moon orbiting Uranus. The new member of the lunar gang, announced on Tuesday by Nasa, appears to be just six miles 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. 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.
BreakingNews.ie
5 hours ago
- Science
- BreakingNews.ie
Nasa's Webb telescope finds a new tiny moon around Uranus
The Webb Space Telescope has spotted a new tiny moon orbiting Uranus. The new member of the lunar gang, announced on Tuesday by Nasa, appears to be just six miles wide. Advertisement 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. — 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. Advertisement This newest addition, still nameless, ups the planet's total moon count to 29.
