Uranus – NeRDs Moonbase

Small moon of Uranus may have once had a subsurface liquid water ocean

November 1, 2024 NeRD

Over the last few decades, planetary scientists have been steadily adding to the list of moons in our solar system that may harbor interior oceans either currently or at some point in their past. For the most part, these moons (such as Europa or Enceladus) have been gravitationally bound to the gas giants Jupiter or Saturn. Recently, though, planetary scientists have been turning their attention further afield, towards the ice giant Uranus, the coldest planet in the solar system. And now, new research based on images taken by the Voyager…

‘Traffic jams’ around Uranus could solve the mystery of its weak radiation belts

July 9, 2024 NeRD

Scientists may have solved a lingering mystery surrounding the ice giant Uranus and its weak radiation belts. It’s possible the belts’ weakness is linked to the planet’s curiously tilted and lopsided magnetic field; the field could be causing “traffic jams” for particles whipping around the world. The mystery dates back to Voyager 2’s visit to Uranus in January 1986, far before the probe left the solar system in 2018. The spacecraft found that Uranus‘ magnetic field is asymmetric and tilted roughly 60° away from its spin axis. Additionally, Voyager 2…

3 tiny new moons found around Uranus and Neptune — and one is exceptionally tiny

February 23, 2024 NeRD

Astronomers have discovered two tiny moons orbiting Neptune and one circling Uranus, bringing the number of their known moons to 16 and 28 respectively. Uranus’ new moon, the first detected around the ice giant in over two decades and possibly the smallest of its ilk, is just 5 miles (8 kilometers) wide; it takes 680 days to complete one orbit around Uranus. In comparison, one Mars’ moons named Deimos, considered to be among the tiniest known moons in our solar system, is 8 miles (13 km) wide. The new moon…

Ringing in the Holidays

December 26, 2023 NeRD

NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI The ice giant Uranus and its rings steal the show in this Dec. 18, 2023, image from the James Webb Space Telescope. The telescope captured new images of Uranus, revealing detailed features of the planet’s rings and seasonal north polar cap, as well as bright storms near and below the southern border of the cap. This Webb image also shows 14 of the planet’s 27 moons: Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, Juliet, Perdita, Rosalind, Puck, Belinda, Desdemona, Cressida, Ariel, Miranda, Bianca, and Portia. Webb’s extreme sensitivity also picks…

The rings of Uranus look positively festive in epic James Webb Space Telescope holiday photo

December 18, 2023 NeRD

They may not be the gold rings from “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” but Uranus and its rings stand resplendent in this stunning portrait from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It’s the second image of Uranus that the JWST has captured this year. The first, released in April, was a two-toned affair composed of imagery captured at infrared wavelengths of 1.4 and 3.0 microns. This new image adds extra wavelengths, specifically 2.1 and 4.6 microns, to give a much more complete overview of the seventh planet from the sun. …

Unwrapping Uranus and its icy secrets: What NASA would learn from a mission to a wild world

December 2, 2023 NeRD

Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, orbits in the outer solar system, about two billion miles (3.2 billion kilometers) from Earth. It is an enormous world – quadruple the diameter of Earth, with 15 times the mass and 63 times the volume. Unvisited by spacecraft for more than 35 years, Uranus inhabits one of the least explored regions of our solar system. Although scientists have learned some things about it from telescopic observations and theoretical work since the Voyager 2 flyby in 1986, the planet remains an enigma. It’s…

Where Did the Ice Giant Planets Form?

March 29, 2022 NeRD

Conventional planet formation scenarios have Neptune and Uranus forming closer to the Sun. But a new study shows that the ice giant planets could have formed right where they are now. The post Where Did the Ice Giant Planets Form? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Uranus Queues Up for Opposition

October 27, 2021 NeRD

Journey to a remote planet then double back to check in on the latest stirrings of Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann before touching the finger of dawn. The post Uranus Queues Up for Opposition appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Hail-like “Mushballs” May Fall on All Our Giant Planets

September 23, 2021 NeRD

“Mushballs,” first inferred to exist on Jupiter, may fall within the atmospheres of all the solar system’s giant planets. The post Hail-like “Mushballs” May Fall on All Our Giant Planets appeared first on Sky & Telescope.