The coldest in the solar system, lies on its side, and summer lasts 42 years - it’s all about Uranus, the most
Uranus is far from the Sun - 2.9 billion kmfrom the star - because of this, astronomers have studied it worse. Unlike Jupiter and Saturn, only one spacecraft flew near Uranus, Voyager 2 in 1986, said Amy Simon, one of the NASA scientists who supports launching a mission to the planet.
“This is one of the strangest planets in the solarsystem and has not yet been studied in detail. So now is the right time to explore the entire system along with the planet and the moons, ”said Dr. Simon.
The coldest in the entire solar system
Uranus is very cold. The temperature on it reaches -224 °C. The planet is called the coldest place in the solar system.
“It is colder than Neptune, we know that it gives off less heat than expected. Is there a layer inside Uranus that does not allow heat to escape from it? says Dr. Maynard-Caisley.
Uranus or is it George?
After its discovery, Uranus could not be given a name for a period of time.70 years old. They even wanted to call him George. All other planets within the solar system have been known for a long time because they are easy to detect in the night sky. But Uranus was the first planet to be discovered, and even after that, astronomers still doubted and thought that it was a star or a comet. Uranus was first observed by John Flamsteed, who observed it at least six times in 1690 and mistook it for a star.
If William Herschel, who observed Uranus andfirst named it a planet, succeeded in 1781, the object would have been called the Georgian Sidus, or George's Star, after its patron, King George III. 70 years later, astronomers settled on the name Uranus. He was chosen in honor of the Greek sky god Uranus, father of Saturn and grandfather of Jupiter.
Uranus is not "standing", but lies
Unlike other planets, Uranus is tilted on its side.at an angle of 97.77°. This means that it is rolling in its orbit rather than spinning. Because of this unusual tilt, it turns out that the poles of the planet face the Sun continuously for 42 Earth years.
On average, during the year, the poles receive moresunlight and more energy than the equator. Other planets are arranged differently. Scientists still do not know why the planet, as well as its moons and the rings that surround the equator, are at an angle. One hypothesis is that an unknown huge body of comparable size crashed into Uranus - this may have happened in the early solar system. But that doesn't explain how Uranus got its moons.
When did the moons of Uranus appear?
Unlike other planets whose moons are namedafter characters in Greek mythology, the 27 moons of Uranus are named after the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope. These small moons are in the same orbit and must have formed around the same time as the planet.
This distinguishes Uranus from its icy neighborgiant Neptune. In the case of Neptune, its satellites did not form simultaneously with the planet, but began to revolve around it, as they were captured by gravity.
Astronomers suggest that some of the moonsUranus can be covered with water. This means that they are potentially suitable for the development of life. Miranda - the fifth largest moon - is covered with cracks and faults. For a long time it was believed that it collapsed, and then recovered from large pieces. But recently, scientists have said it could be evidence of cryovolcanism. This is suggested to be studied during a potential mission.
So far, scientists do not know if thesevolcanic damage. It could also be that Miranda does indeed have radiation damage on its surface. Radiation damage from the Sun, Uranus itself, or somewhere outside our solar system can change the structure of water and bring it into a glassy state - amorphous ice.
Extreme weather and summer for 42 years
Due to the unusual tilt on the planet there areextreme weather. But this could not be determined from the images of Voyager 2. Part of the reason was the cameras themselves, which took pictures of Uranus. When Voyager 2 flew by, one side was lit up, while the other was completely invisible. According to Professor Horner, if we talk about other planets, such as Jupiter or Neptune, then their weather conditions are more pronounced at the equator. He noted that when Voyager 2 flew past Uranus, the weather was "very dull."
In the 36 years since the Voyager 2 flyby,astronomers have partly studied this weather through the lenses of the Keck Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope. Thanks to them, scientists have learned that there can be powerful storms on Uranus, occurring due to the fact that the surface of the planet, which has not heated up for 42 years, begins to warm during the change of seasons.
But all existing telescopes, including the new James Webb Space Telescope, still don't study Uranus well enough.
Uranus is covered with shells of water and gases
Scientists now believe that Uranus is about fourtimes larger than the Earth and is a giant ball of dense frozen liquid - water, methane and ammonia - they cover a small rocky core.
Its atmosphere consists of hydrogen and helium,which are mixed with ammonia and methane. This gives Uranus its blue color, and it also comes from water and other gases. But scientists don't know exactly what these layers look like. If astronomers figure this out, they will be closer to answering the question - why is it so cold on Uranus?
strange magnetic field
What happens in gas shells can helpexplain why the planet has a very strange magnetic field. It does not seem to originate directly in the center of Uranus, like Earth and other planets, but comes from the mantle - it is around the core.
One hypothesis is that water andThe ammonia that forms the shells around the planet is under high pressure, so the subatomic particles inside them change. If you put a spacecraft into orbit of Uranus, you can learn much more about how the density of the shells changes, as well as their composition.
When will the mission to Uranus be launched?
Uranus is far away and needs 84 years tomake a revolution around the sun. Therefore, such a mission will be designed for the next generation of scientists. If NASA can meet the 2031 or 2032 deadline, the mission will take 12 years to reach its destination, Dr. Simon said.
NASA is going to not only send an orbiter that will fly around the planet, but will also launch a probe into the planet's atmosphere.
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