News JVTech For 38 years, scientists have been wrong about one of the closest planets to Earth
Published on 14/11/2024 at 08:50
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Uranus, the seventh planet in our solar system, has always fascinated astronomers with its unique characteristics. However, a new study calls into question our knowledge of this ice giant. Indeed, it appears that the data collected during Voyager 2's historic flyby in 1986 was distorted by an unexpected cosmic event.
A misleading snapshot
Since Voyager 2's historic flyby in 1986, Uranus has intrigued scientists with its particularly asymmetric magnetic field and its apparently plasma-free magnetosphere. These features, unique in our solar system, have long defied our theoretical models. However, a recent study published in the journal Nature Astronomy calls these conclusions into question.
Photo credit: NASA (Unsplash)
Researchers reanalyzed the data collected by Voyager 2 and realized that Voyager 2 had passed by Uranus at a critical time: just after an intense solar wind event. These solar winds, streams of charged particles emitted by the Sun, can compress and distort planetary magnetospheres. In the case of Uranus, this event would have temporarily modified the structure of its magnetic field and considerably reduced the plasma density. In other words, the image we had of Uranus was a sort of “identical portrait” taken at a moment of great agitation. It's as if we photographed a person in the middle of a snowstorm and drew general conclusions about their appearance.
Implications for the moons of Uranus
This new interpretation of Voyager 2 data has direct implications for our understanding of Uranus' moons. Initially, the absence of plasma in the planet's magnetosphere suggested that its moons were geologically inactive.. Indeed, the interaction between plasma and moons can generate heat through magnetic induction, which can in turn fuel internal geological activity.
However, if the magnetosphere of Uranus is more dynamic and richer in plasma than previously thought, then the planet's moons could be subject to a much greater bombardment of charged particles. This bombardment could generate enough heat to maintain oceans of liquid water beneath the icy surface of some moons, like Miranda or Ariel. The presence of liquid water is a key element for the emergence of life, which makes these moons particularly interesting for astrobiologists.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
An orbital mission, equipped with modern scientific instruments, would make it possible to study Uranus over a long period and observe variations in its magnetic field and its magnetosphere. An atmospheric probe could also be sent to analyze the composition of the planet's atmosphere and study the weather processes taking place there. Such missions would make it possible to answer many fundamental questions about the formation and evolution of giant planets, the nature of planetary magnetic fields and on the possibility of finding traces of life, even beyond our solar system.
