New moon discovered orbiting Uranus is its smallest one
The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a new moon that is small and dim in orbit around Uranus. The discovery brings the planet’s total to 29, and scientists say there are probably more to be found
By Matthew Sparkes
19 August 2025
Astronomers have found a new moon nested among the 28 others near Uranus
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. El Mou
A small and dim moon has been discovered in orbit around Uranus, bringing the planet’s total to 29. Many of the ice giant’s other moons are named after characters from works by William Shakespeare, and scientists are now debating which of his characters may lend the body its name.
The new moon was discovered by a team led by Maryame El Moutamid at Southwest Research Institute in Colorado, using 10 long-exposure infrared images taken by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) on 2 February this year.
The moon currently has the provisional name S/2025 U 1. But in time it will probably be named along the same lines as 27 of Uranus’ moons: taking a character’s name from one of Shakespeare’s plays. This convention dates back to the discovery of the planet’s first two moons, Titania and Oberon, in 1787.
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The chosen name for the newly-found moon will need to be approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the leading authority on assigning official names and designations to astronomical objects. Mark Showalter at the SETI Institute, who was part of the research team and is a self-confessed theatre fan, says there have been discussions but no shortlist yet.
Showalter says spotting a moon so small and dim was a difficult task. “It’s a tiny object right next to a very, very bright object. It’s like staring into the headlight of a car and trying to look at a fly,” he says. “The James Webb telescope is an extraordinary instrument that is vastly more sensitive than any other telescope that has ever existed, frankly.”
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