The Minor Planet Center, part of the International Astronomical Union headquartered in Paris, has unveiled the detection of three previously unknown moons orbiting the distant ice giants Uranus and Neptune in our solar system.
Multiple observations and "special image-processing techniques" are crucial in confirming the existence of these "faint and distant" moons, Carnegie Science said in a statement issued last week, citing Astronomer Scott Sheppard from the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, who played a leading role in utilizing the Magellan telescopes in Chile and collaborating with colleagues from NASA and universities.
The moon, provisionally named S/2023 U1, is only 8 kilometers (4.9 miles) in diameter and takes 680 days to orbit Uranus, according to Carnegie Science, highlighting the exciting discoveries of researchers in astronomy, Earth and planetary science.
It will eventually be named after a Shakespeare play, joining moons like Oberon, Titania and Ariel, it added.
The center said S/2002 N5, the brighter of the two, measures about 23 kilometers and takes nearly nine years to orbit Neptune.
The statement said S/2021 N1, the fainter one, is around 14 kilometers in diameter and takes almost 27 years to complete its orbit.
Both will be given Greek mythological names, similar to the existing Neptunian moons.
Their orbits and positions suggest that they may be fragments of larger moons shattered by collisions in the solar system's early days.
These discoveries add to the evidence of similar moon groupings around all four giant planets, supporting the theory of collisions shaping the solar system's evolution.
While current technology may miss even smaller moons, these discoveries open doors to further exploration and understanding of the solar system's formation and history.
