Uranus day measured: Now 28 seconds longer than believed
Recent studies indicate that the length of a day on Uranus is longer than previously thought. Scientists determined the exact length of the day using data from the Hubble Telescope and tracked a cosmic aurora.
The latest observations suggest that a day on Uranus lasts 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds. This is 28 seconds longer than the previous estimate based on the Voyager 2 probe's data during its 1986 flyby. While the difference may not seem significant, the scientific community values precision.
New measurements and a longer day
Uranus and Neptune, being the most distant planets in the Solar System, are exceptionally mysterious and difficult to study. Previous data primarily came from the Voyager mission nearly 40 years ago. According to the Science Alert portal, new measurements based on Hubble Telescope data from 2011 to 2022 have accurately determined the rotation period of this distant planet.
Inaccurate data on the length of a day on Uranus caused challenges in precisely locating its magnetic poles. With the new measurements, scientists tracked cosmic ultraviolet auroras, which operate through mechanisms similar to those on Earth.
When particles from the solar wind encounter the planet's magnetosphere, they accelerate along magnetic field lines, reaching polar regions. There, they are propelled into the upper 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.
