天体卫星研究
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【微特稿】第29颗!天王星卫星家族“添丁”
Xin Hua She· 2025-08-20 06:17
Core Insights - NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a new moon orbiting Uranus, marking the 29th known moon of the planet [1][2] - The moon was detected using the telescope's near-infrared camera, with observations made in February of this year [1] - The newly discovered moon is estimated to have a diameter of only 10 kilometers and has not been observed by previous missions, including Voyager 2 [1] Summary by Sections - **Discovery Details** - The new moon was found in a series of 10 sets of 40-minute long exposure images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope [1] - The moon's small size and low brightness likely contributed to its previous undetection [1] - **Orbital Characteristics** - The moon orbits at a distance of 56,000 kilometers from the center of Uranus, indicating it may have formed near its current location [1] - **Naming Convention** - Previous moons of Uranus have been named after characters from the works of Shakespeare or Alexander Pope, but the new moon has not yet been named and requires approval from the International Astronomical Union [1] - **Implications for Future Discoveries** - The discovery suggests that there may be more small moons around Uranus yet to be found, indicating potential for further exploration and research in this area [2]