wat do? imagine the smell
>By going over old data collected by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986, two scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have made the startling discovery that Uranus’ atmosphere is gradually escaping into space.
>When Voyager 2 flew within 82,000 kilometres of the ice giant Uranus on 24 January 1986, the reaction back on Earth was one of disappointment. Following the exciting fly-bys of Jupiter and Saturn, with their churning atmospheres, ring systems and moons full of character and surprises, Uranus was bland by comparison. Images showed a featureless, turquoise ball, and gave the impression that the planet was pretty boring.
>Over the years since, astronomers have been finding that conclusion to have been a mistake. This ice giant – its atmosphere composed mainly of hydrogen and helium but with copious amounts of ‘ices’ including ammonia, methane and water – is more active than was thought. Its atmosphere exhibits bands and storms, particularly when viewed in infrared light, and its rotation is unique in the Solar System: it rotates on its side, with its poles tipped over by almost 98 degrees to the vertical (relative to the ecliptic plane). This results in some interesting atmospheric disturbances as the seasons change. Furthermore, because Uranus’ magnetic field is tilted 60 degrees away from the planet’s spin-axis, it means that the magnetic field appears to wobble as the planet rotates every 17 hours and 14 minutes, making it very difficult for scientists to decipher.
https://astronomynow.com/2020/03/27/evidence-of-uranus-leaking-atmosphere-found-hidden-in-voyager-2-observations/
>By going over old data collected by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1986, two scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center have made the startling discovery that Uranus’ atmosphere is gradually escaping into space.
>When Voyager 2 flew within 82,000 kilometres of the ice giant Uranus on 24 January 1986, the reaction back on Earth was one of disappointment. Following the exciting fly-bys of Jupiter and Saturn, with their churning atmospheres, ring systems and moons full of character and surprises, Uranus was bland by comparison. Images showed a featureless, turquoise ball, and gave the impression that the planet was pretty boring.
>Over the years since, astronomers have been finding that conclusion to have been a mistake. This ice giant – its atmosphere composed mainly of hydrogen and helium but with copious amounts of ‘ices’ including ammonia, methane and water – is more active than was thought. Its atmosphere exhibits bands and storms, particularly when viewed in infrared light, and its rotation is unique in the Solar System: it rotates on its side, with its poles tipped over by almost 98 degrees to the vertical (relative to the ecliptic plane). This results in some interesting atmospheric disturbances as the seasons change. Furthermore, because Uranus’ magnetic field is tilted 60 degrees away from the planet’s spin-axis, it means that the magnetic field appears to wobble as the planet rotates every 17 hours and 14 minutes, making it very difficult for scientists to decipher.
https://astronomynow.com/2020/03/27/evidence-of-uranus-leaking-atmosphere-found-hidden-in-voyager-2-observations/
