It is impossible to hide that Uranus is a planet enough ... strange. The axis of rotation of this planet is strongly inclined - up to 98 degrees, and is located almost in the plane of its orbit. As a result, Uranus literally rotates on its side, and although there are some theories about where it comes from, no one is sure whether any of them are true.
A new study by Atlanta-based Georgia Institute of Technology suggests that Uranus's peculiar axis of rotation may be responsible for another strange feature of this planet. Uranus magnetosphere - the magnetic field that surrounds it - "turns on and off" every day as it rotates with the planet.
The magnetic field of the Earth is quite regular and stretches between the north and south poles. Because Uranus is a "drunken planet", its magnetosphere is much more chaotic and the magnetic field's dipole axis is inclined at an angle of 60 degrees to the axis of rotation of the planet. Because of this, the magnetosphere is sometimes "open" and sometimes "closed," depending on its orientation.
Researchers have been able to simulate the Uranus magnetosphere and discover some of its secrets using numerical models based on data collected by Voyager 2.
"Research shows that the magnetic shield surrounding Uranus is quite dynamic and strongly dependent on - among all factors - its rotation. It behaves completely differently than the magnetosphere of the Earth or any other planet, " said Carol Paty, co-author of the paper published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics.
Well, until now, we have not been able to investigate Uranus so thoroughly. For the first time (and last), a Voyager 2 spacecraft flew in its vicinity in 1986. Nevertheless, NASA scientists this week presented a proposal to re-visit Uranus and his companion, Neptune, over the next few decades.
Source: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Photo from Pixabay.com
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