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Webb Telescope Reveals Tiny New Moon Orbiting Uranus
The newly found moon, about 6 miles wide, orbits within Uranus' dark inner rings, raising the total known moons to 29, NASA said.
- On Tuesday, NASA announced the James Webb Space Telescope detected a previously unseen moon around Uranus, designated S/2025 U1, raising its known moon count to 29.
- Because of its tiny size—about six miles—and its position inside Uranus' dark inner rings, which include 13 rings, S/2025 U1 remained undetected until Webb's observations.
- Using NIRCam, Webb detected glints of sunlight in a series of 10 40-minute long-exposure images taken during February observations, revealing the 14th small inner moon about 35,000 miles from Uranus' center.
- An official name is now awaiting International Astronomical Union approval and will likely follow the Shakespeare and Alexander Pope naming tradition, while scientists say the discovery highlights the James Webb Space Telescope's reach through its General Observer program.
- Astronomers say the discovery hints at more hidden objects around Uranus and builds on Voyager 2's Jan. 24, 1986 flyby, with James Webb Space Telescope extending that exploration nearly four decades later.
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Astronomers make 'significant discovery' as they spot new moon orbiting Uranus
Astronomers have detected a previously unknown moon circling Uranus, marking a notable addition to our understanding of the ice giant's satellite system. The James Webb Space Telescope identified the tiny celestial body on February 2, with Nasa confirming the discovery.The newly found moon, temporarily designated S/2025 U1, spans approximately 10 kilometres in diameter.**ARE YOU READING THIS ON OUR APP? DOWNLOAD NOW FOR THE BEST GB NEWS EXPERIEN…
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Leaning Left37Leaning Right13Center78Last UpdatedBias Distribution61% Center
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61% Center
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C 61%
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