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http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/newsdesk/archive/releases/2005/33/full/
To the surprise of astronomers, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has photographed a pair of new rings around the distant planet Uranus. The largest is twice the diameter of the planet's previously known rings. The new rings are so far away that they are being called Uranus's "second ring system."
In addition, Hubble has spied two small satellites, one sharing its orbit with one of the newly discovered rings. Even more surprisingly, precise analysis of the data reveals that the orbits of Uranus's family of inner moons have changed significantly in the last decade. Collectively, these new discoveries mean that Uranus has a densely packed, rapidly changing, and possibly unstable dynamical system of orbiting bodies.
The discovery of new rings and moons around Uranus is significant because it adds to our understanding of the outer planets in our solar system. It also sheds light on the formation and evolution of moons and rings in general.
The Hubble telescope used its powerful imaging capabilities to capture detailed images of Uranus. These images revealed the presence of two new rings and 13 previously undiscovered moons around the planet.
The two new rings around Uranus are extremely faint and composed of small, dark particles. They are located closer to the planet than the previously known rings and are likely to be short-lived due to their unstable orbits.
The 13 newly discovered moons around Uranus are small, irregularly shaped objects. They are estimated to be about 2-4 kilometers in size and are believed to be fragments of larger moons that were broken apart by collisions in the past.
This discovery highlights the importance of continued space exploration and the role of NASA's Hubble telescope in expanding our knowledge of the universe. It also raises questions about the origin and evolution of the outer planets and their moons, which could lead to further research and missions to explore these fascinating worlds.