Uranus day length redefined: New insights from Hubble data
Recent studies indicate that the length of a day on Uranus is longer than previously thought. Scientists determined the exact length of the day by using data from the Hubble Telescope and tracking the path of a cosmic aurora.
The latest observations suggest that the length of a day on Uranus is 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds. This is 28 seconds longer than previously estimated from the data collected by the Voyager 2 probe during its flyby in 1986. Although the difference may not seem significant, accuracy is highly valued in the scientific community.
New measurements and a longer day
Uranus and Neptune are the most distant planets in the Solar System, which makes them quite mysterious and challenging to study. Previous data mainly came from the Voyager mission, which occurred almost 40 years ago. According to the Science Alert portal, new measurements based on data from the Hubble Telescope from the years 2011-2022 have allowed for a more precise determination of the rotation period of this distant planet.
Inaccurate data on the length of the day on Uranus caused issues with determining the exact position of its magnetic poles. Thanks to the new measurements, scientists were able to track cosmic ultraviolet auroras, which operate in a mechanism similar to those on Earth.
Particles from the solar wind, upon encountering the planet's magnetosphere, accelerate along magnetic field lines, reaching the polar latitudes. There, they are ejected into the upper layers of the atmosphere. As a result of the interaction between atmospheric particles and particles from the Sun, a light phenomenon appears in the sky. This new measurement method can be applied to other gas giants in the Solar System.
