Day on Uranus redefined: New findings reveal extended rotation
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 following the trail 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 data collected by the Voyager 2 probe during its flyby in 1986. Although the difference may not seem spectacular, the scientific community takes inaccuracies seriously.
New measurements and a longer day
Uranus and Neptune are the most distant planets in the Solar System, which makes them exceptionally mysterious and difficult to study. Previous data mainly came from the Voyager mission, which took place 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 an accurate 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, after encountering the planet's magnetosphere, accelerate along magnetic field lines, reaching polar latitudes. There, they are projected 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. The new measurement method can be applied to other gas giants in the Solar System.
