Sometimes it feels like there’s not enough time on the planet to get everything done. If human life existed on the planet Uranus, it could likely be the same phenomenon. But now we know that Uranus’ day is 28 seconds longer From an astronomer first calculated in the 1980s. Using a more accurate measurement set NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescopein fact, it takes Uranus 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds (17 hours, 14 minutes, 24 seconds) to complete one full spin. For more information about the survey results, please see Research published in the journal on April 7th Natural Astronomy.
For astronomers, it is difficult to determine the internal rotational speed of a planet, and scientists cannot make direct measurements of Uranus. To try and solve this, the team in this research New ways Use planetary auroras to track Uranus’ rotational motion. Like the lights of the north and south of Earth, these spectacular displays of light are produced in the atmosphere above it by a surge in energy particles near the planet’s magnetic poles. However, the aurora on Uranus is slightly different from that generated by Aurora, Jupiter and Saturn on Earth. Uranus’ aurora behaves in a unique and unpredictable way, primarily due to the highly tilted magnetic fields of the planet. This high inclination is significantly offset from the axis of rotation; Uranus is essentially “lying sideways.”
The team used more than a decade of observations of Uranus’ unique aurora, photographed at Hubble, refined the planet’s rotation period. This technique proved to complete a 28-second longer rotation than estimated on NASA’s Voyager 2 Flyby in 1986.
“Our measurements not only provide important references to the planetary science community, they solve long-standing problems. Previous coordinate systems based on outdated rotation periods soon become inaccurate and over time it becomes impossible to track Uranus’ magnetic poles.” said in a statement. “With this new longitude system, we can compare nearly 40 years of observations of the Aurora and even plan future Uranus missions.”
ESA/Hubble, NASA, L. Lamy, L. Sr
According to the teamThis breakthrough was possible due to long-term monitoring of the most distant planets from the Sun by space telescopes almost 35 years ago. For more than a decade, Hubble regularly observes Uranus’s ultraviolet aurora emissions, which allowed researchers to track the location of magnetic poles in magnetic field models.
“The continuous observation from Hubble was extremely important,” Lammy said. “Without this rich data, it would not have been possible to detect periodic signals at the level of accuracy achieved.”
Observing what is happening in the Uranus magnetic field will not only help astronomers to better understand Uranus’ magnetosphere, but also help to provide important information on future irregular missions to the third largest planet of the solar system.
[Related: Uranus’s quirks and hidden features have astronomers jazzed about a direct mission.]
The 2022 10-year Planetary Science Survey in the United States: Uranus orbiter and probe concept For future exploration. That mission has not yet been removed from the ground,
Findings from this study could set additional research stages that will deepen our understanding of one of the solar system’s most mystical planets. It also highlights how Hubble Space Telescope and the ability to monitor a single object for decades are essential tools.
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