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A team from the Southwest Research Institute has discovered a tiny new moon orbiting Uranus using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The moon, called S/2025 U1, is just 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, too small for Voyager 2 to detect during its 1986 flyby. This discovery brings Uranus’s total known moons to 29, with S/2025 U1 orbiting 35,000 miles from the planet’s center. Scientists say its presence hints that Uranus’s crowded system of moons and rings may still hold more hidden surprises awaiting discovery with Webb’s powerful instruments.

Astronomers discovered that the water in Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, known as the “Devil Comet,” is nearly identical to Earth’s. Using ALMA and IRTF data, they mapped cometary water for the first time. The findings bolster the theory that comets delivered water to Earth, enabling life’s emergence.

On Aug. 15, Chinese astronauts Chen Dong and Wang Jie completed a 6.5-hour spacewalk to strengthen the Tiangong space station’s defenses against orbital debris. Working outside the station, they installed new protective panels and inspected external systems. The mission marked Chen Dong’s sixth career EVA—the most by a Chinese astronaut—and the third for Shenzhou 20’s crew. China’s space agency stressed that debris mitigation is a global concern, aligning with its policies on de-orbiting old spacecraft and passivating rocket stages. Experts warn that rising orbital traffic makes international cooperation essential.

An international team of astronomers has discovered WD 0525+526, an unusual white dwarf about 128 light-years away, using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Unlike typical white dwarfs, this star formed through a stellar merger and shows an unexpectedly high carbon content. With a mass of 1.2 Suns and a scorching surface temperature of 21,000 K, the discovery suggests that such merger remnants may be more common than previously thought. Researchers believe these hidden stellar histories could reshape our understanding of white dwarf binaries and pathways to supernova explosions.

A team in China has unveiled a lithium battery design with over 600 Wh/kg energy density—double that of Tesla’s best batteries. If scalable, the breakthrough could revolutionise electric vehicles, extend driving ranges, and improve safety. Researchers caution that it remains a proof-of-concept requiring more real-world testing before mass adoption.