S/2003 U1 and S/2003 U2

If you are wondering what the title is all about, the answer is that I was trying to make it PG. I’m SO fighting the urge to say “Two New Moons Found Around Your Uranus”. Yesterday, scientist, with the help of Hubble Space Telescope, found two new moons in the Uranian lunar system.

The newly discovered moons are temporarily designated as S/2003 U1 and S/2003 U2 until the IAU formally approves their discovery. S/2003 U1 is the larger of the two moons, measuring 10 miles (16 km) across. The Hubble telescope spotted this moon orbiting between the moons Puck, the largest satellite found by the Voyager spacecraft, and Miranda, the innermost of the five largest Uranian satellites.

Astronomers previously thought this region was empty space, according to a statement issued today by Hubble officials. S/2003 U1 is 60,600 miles (97,700 kilometers) away from Uranus, whirling around the giant planet in 22 hours and 9 minutes.

The smallest Uranian moon yet found, S/2003 U2, is 8 miles (12 kilometers) wide. Its orbital path is just 200 to 450 miles (300 to 700 km) from the moon Belinda. S/2003 U2 is 46,400 miles (74,800 km) away from Uranus and circles the planet in 14 hours and 50 minutes. The tiny moon is part of a densely crowded field of 11 other moons, all discovered from pictures taken by the Voyager spacecraft.

I find it amazing that we are still finding new things in our solar system. Well, they aren’t really new. Also, determining the size of a moon from this distance, remarkable!

Source: Space.com