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Discovery. The first two moons to be discovered were Titania and Oberon, which were spotted by Sir William Herschel on January 11, 1787, six years after he had discovered the planet itself. Later, Herschel thought he had discovered up to six moons (see below) and perhaps even a ring.
The planet Uranus has 27 known moons. Uranus’s five largest moons— Miranda , Ariel , Umbriel , Oberon , and Titania —range from about 240 to 800 km (150 to 500 miles) in radius. All were discovered telescopically from Earth, four of them before the 20th century.
Oberon and Titania are the largest Uranian moons, and were the first to be discovered – by William Herschel in 1787. William Lassell, who had been the first to see a moon orbiting Neptune, discovered the next two, Ariel and Umbriel. Nearly a century passed before Gerard Kuiper found Miranda in 1948.
Oberon and Titania are the largest Uranian moons, and were the first to be discovered – by William Herschel in 1787. William Lassell, who had been the first to see a moon orbiting Neptune, discovered the next two, Ariel and Umbriel. Nearly a century passed before Gerard Kuiper found Miranda in 1948.
The most recently discovered moon was first spotted in November 2023. It's currently designated at S/2023 U1, and will eventually be named for a literary character like the other moons of Uranus.
The first moons of Uranus to be discovered, Oberon and Titania, were found by German-born astronomer William Herschel in 1787. Herschel had discovered Uranus itself six years earlier in March...
Herschel later discovered Uranus’ two largest moons, Titania and Oberon, in 1787. Astronomers discovered three more moons, Umbriel and Ariel in 1851, and Miranda in 1948. Left: Image of Uranus and its five largest moons taken with the 60-inch telescope at the Mt. Wilson Observatory.
Uranus’s five largest moons range from about 240 to 800 km (150 to 500 miles) in radius. All were discovered telescopically from Earth, four of them before the 20th century (see below Observations from Earth). Ten small inner moons were found by Voyager 2 in 1985–86.
Before any more Uranian moons were discovered, William Lassell sometimes adopted Herschel's numbers where Titania and Oberon are respectively Uranus II and IV, [24] and sometimes called them respectively Uranus I and II. [25]
Uranus has more than two dozen moons (natural satellites), five of which are relatively large, and a system of narrow rings. Uranus has been visited by a spacecraft only once—by the U.S. Voyager 2 probe in 1986.