A team of scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI),led by Morocco’s Maryame El Moutamid,has discovered a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus,expanding the planet’s known satellite count to 29.
The discovery,made using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST),marks a significant milestone in the study of the outer solar system.
The moon was identified in a series of long-exposure images captured on February 2,2025,by JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera. Dr El Moutamid,a lead scientist in SwRI’s Solar System Science and Exploration Division in Boulder,Colorado,spearheaded the research.
“This is the smallest Uranian moon discovered to date,” said El Moutamid in a SwRI statement.
“Its detection required ten deep exposures,highlighting JWST’s extraordinary sensitivity and resolution,” she said.
“With so many of Uranus’ moons named for Shakespearean characters,our team is enjoying the challenge of selecting a culturally fitting name for this new discovery,” El Moutamid added. The moon currently has the provisional name S/2025 U 1.
Uranus,the seventh planet from the Sun,is known for its dramatic axial tilt and icy composition. Its five major moons- Titania,Oberon,Umbriel,Ariel,and Miranda – are believed to be composed of a mix of water ice and silicate rock.
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