Uranus is the latest space fixation for astronomers and enthusiasts. The coldest planet in our solar system is spinning sideways, perhaps as a result of some cosmic collision centuries ago.
NASA
The obsession with Uranus
Uranus’ seasons are also insanely long! Each pole experiences decades of sunlight and darkness on Uranus. If you were born on Uranus at sunset, you will have to wait about four decades to see the spring sunrise.
Earlier this year, the US National Academy of Sciences released a report calling for NASA to launch a probe to Uranus as the highest priority mission for the next decade. We have very limited data on this planet. In 1986, a robotic probe flew past the planet to reveal a giant blue world, The Guardian reports.
Read also: Ghostly blue remnants of an ancient space explosion captured by NASA in a new image
NASA
We haven’t been back to the planet since. Scientists have found evidence of similar planets on distant worlds, suggesting that ice giants are more common in our galaxy than we thought. Even then, we don’t know much about the origins of these icy worlds like Uranus and Neptune in our own solar system.
Lawrence Sromowski, University of Wisconsin-Madison/WW Keck Observatory
Why the Uranus probe matters
Could understanding the most common type of planet in our galaxy unlock the secrets of the universe? Maybe yes! But this view of the ice giants is no ordinary walk because Uranus orbits the Sun at a distance of 2.8 billion kilometers and Neptune does the same at 4.5 billion kilometers.
Scientists hope to harness Jupiter’s help in the form of gravitational assistance. By initiating a close encounter with Jupiter, the spacecraft can reach Uranus more quickly. Even then, scientists believe a mission will not be launched until after 2031 if Jupiter’s gravity-assist potential is to be exploited.
NASA
Also read: Uranus really does smell like farts, and all our planet jokes were right all along
A probe would answer a series of questions about ice giants like Uranus – what is so cold? Why does it rotate sideways unlike the other planets in our solar system?
Uranus was first discovered in 1780 when William Herschel decided to focus on a faint object near a star in the night sky. Since then, the coldest planet in our solar system has continued to puzzle scientists.
What do you think about a Uranus probe in the near future? Let us know in the comments below. For more information in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
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