Astronomers using the powerful eye of the James Webb Space Telescope have spotted a previously unknown moon whirling around Uranus, according toΒ NASA.
The discovery boosts the number of moons known to be orbiting the ice giant to 29 β and there are likely more waiting to be found.
The moon came to light through a series of 40-minute long-exposure images taken by Webbβs Near-Infrared Camera on February 2.
βItβs a small moon but a significant discovery, which is something that even NASAβs Voyager 2 spacecraft didnβt see during its flyby nearly 40 years ago,β said Maryame El Moutamid, a lead scientist in the Southwest Research Instituteβs Solar System Science and Exploration Division in Boulder, Colorado, in a statement.
Scientists spot new moon orbiting Uranus: βA significant discoveryβ https://t.co/YCPeaoO7uU pic.twitter.com/dSk9T62s9O
— New York Post (@nypost) August 20, 2025
Weβre not sitting on this one, Uranus has another Moon!
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) August 19, 2025
Webb discovered an unknown moon orbiting the planet, expanding its known satellite family to 29. https://t.co/uc9CdPnB7w pic.twitter.com/NM9vlAm24H
