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Idaho Matters

Idaho professor helps discover new Uranus moon

By Samantha Wright
Published November 4, 2025 at 1:22 PM MST
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope discovered a new moon orbiting Uranus in images taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera. This image shows the moon, designated S/2025 U1, as well as 13 of the 28 other known moons orbiting the planet. Due to the drastic differences in brightness levels, the image is a composite of three different treatments of the data, allowing the viewer to see details in the planetary atmosphere, the surrounding rings and the orbiting moons.
NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, M. El Moutamid (SwRI), M. Hedman (University of Idaho).
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope discovered a new moon orbiting Uranus in images taken by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera. This image shows the moon, designated S/2025 U1, as well as 13 of the 28 other known moons orbiting the planet. Due to the drastic differences in brightness levels, the image is a composite of three different treatments of the data, allowing the viewer to see details in the planetary atmosphere, the surrounding rings and the orbiting moons.

Uranus has a new moon.

This planet, which orbits our sun beyond Saturn, is a bit of a mystery, since not much is known about it, despite getting a flyby by Voyager 2 back in 1986. We do know it has rings and 28 moons ... well, 29 moons now.

Matthew Hedman was part of a team led by the Southwest Research Institute that used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to spot the new moon. He’s a physics professor at the University of Idaho. To find out more about the discovery check out the video below.

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Samantha Wright
As Senior Producer of our live daily talk show Idaho Matters, I’m able to indulge my love of storytelling and share all kinds of information (I was probably a Town Crier in a past life). My career has allowed me to learn something new everyday and to share that knowledge with all my friends on the radio.
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