Scientists find a tiny new moon around Uranus with the James Webb Space Telescope (photos, video).
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Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, M. El Moutamid (SWRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho
Astronomers who use the James Webb World Cup telescope from NASA have discovered a newly discovered moon, the icy uranium, the seventh planet from the sun.
The moon, which is known as S/2025 U1, is only 10 kilometers in diameter, which made it invisible to NASA’s Voyager 2 probes during his Flyby of the Planet from 1986 and did not make it detectable by other telescopes. But then came the mighty James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
A team led by scientists from the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in Colorado made 10 different 40-minute exposure of Uranus Use JWSTS near infrared camera (Nircam) to find the small moon. His discovery brings the total of well -known uranium monds to 29.
This picture, which was taken with the Nircam (near infrared camera near infrared), shows a newly discovered moon of Uranus, S/2025 U1, and 13 of the 28 other well -known monds that circle the planets. (A small moon, which is known as Cordelia, circles directly in the outermost ring of the planet, but is not visible in these images due to the brightness of the rings.) This image is actually a composite of three different treatments of JWST data and reveals details in the uranian atmosphere, the struggles of the planet and its moon. | Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, M. El Moutamid (SWRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho
S/2025 U1 is around 56,000 km from the Uranus center. For comparison: the moon of the earth circles an average of 384,400 km from our planet. S/2025 U1 circles Uranus on a circular path, which implies that it has probably formed in its current position.
The moon circles alongside a series of small satellites that are in the orbit of the greatest moons of Uranus – MirandaAriel, Umbriel, Oberon and Titania (27 of Uranus ’29 Monds are named after characters found in Shakespeare games). S/2025 UI will eventually get an official name from the International Astronomical Union (IAU).
Apart from the fact that the revolutionary skills of the James Webb World Cup telescope prove, scientist says that the discovery of S/2025 U1 shows that there is still a lot about Uranus and its complex system of moons and struggles.
“No other planet has as many small inner moons as Uranus and their complex interrelationships with the rings indicate a chaotic story that blur the border between a ring system and a system of moons” opinion. “In addition, the new moon is smaller and weaker than the smallest of the previously known inner moons, which it probably does that even more complexity remains to be discovered.”
A picture of Uranus and many of its moons and rings, including the newly discovered S/2025 U1 (circled above). | Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI, M. El Moutamid (SWRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho
Uranus has 13 rings that are divided into an inner system and a few outer rings. In contrast to Jupiter and Saturn’s ring systems, Uranus’ rings are made of dark material and are more difficult to observe. The 14 inner moons of the planet under the weak inner struggle, and some of these moons help to keep some of the rings of the planet in shape.
The legendary Interstellare Voyager 2 -probe traveled to Uranus in January 1986 and was the first spaceship to do this – and today it remains the only one who has ever visited the distant ice giant. At that time, astronomers only knew about five moons that circle Uranus, According to NASA.
A picture of Uranus’ wrestling of Voyager 2 in 1986 just a few hours after his closest approach to the planet when he was 142,000 miles from the planet. | Credit: NASA/JPL
Related stories:
– Uranus: Everything you need to know about the coldest planet in the solar system
– James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – a complete guide
– Rings around Uranus! James Webb World space telescope catches a breathtaking picture of the ice giant (photo, video).
Scientists say that the skills of the James Webb World space telescope will enable us to learn more about our distant neighbors in the outer ranges of the solar system.
“I am looking forward to the discovery of this moon, how modern astronomy continues to build on the legacy of missions such as Voyager 2, which flew past Uranus on January 24, 1986 and gave humanity the first close-up view of this mysterious world,” said Maryame El Moutamid, a main scientist in Swri. “Now, almost four decades later, the James Webb World Cup telescope is pushing this border even further.”