Photo: Nasa
Neptune
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The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center reported that it has found three new moons on Uranus and Neptune. The discovery brings the number of natural satellites of the planets to 28 on Uranus and 16 on Neptune.
The agency reported that special image processing was necessary to reveal the objects, with these moons being the most difficult to see around the two giants.
To date, the moons have not been named. However, following the lunar naming conventions of the planets, the new moon of Uranus should have a name inspired by the works of Shakespeare, and Neptune’s satellites should pay homage to the Nereids, goddesses of the sea in Greek mythology.
At the moment, Uranus’ new satellite is being called S/2023 U1. It is 8 kilometers in diameter, making it the smallest natural satellite on the planet. It takes 680 days to orbit the star.
The discovery of S/2023 U1 was in November 2023, using the Magellan telescope at Carnegie Science’s Las Campanas Observatory, in Chile. To be able to locate it, it took a month of observation and the use of older images, dated 2021.
Already on Neptune, the brightest moon is temporarily being called S/2002 N5. It is about 23 kilometers in diameter, taking almost 9 years to complete the orbit. The other moon is S/2021 N1. Measuring 14 kilometers in diameter, it takes around 27 years to complete its orbit around the ice giant.
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2024-02-27 21:21:00
#Scientists #discover #moons #Neptune #Uranus
