Instead, they may have oceans, and the satellites may even be able to support life, scientists say.
Much of what we know about them was gathered by NASA‘s Voyager 2 spacecraft, which visited them nearly 40 years ago.
But a new analysis shows that Voyager’s visit coincided with a powerful solar storm, leading to a misleading picture of what the uranian system is really like.
Uranus is a beautiful icy world in the outer ring of our solar system. It is one of the coldest planets. It is also tilted on its side compared to all other worlds-as if it had been tipped over-which makes it perhaps the strangest.
Voyager 2
The first time we saw it up close was in 1986, when Voyager 2 flew by and sent back sensational images of the planet and its five large moons.
But scientists were even more impressed by the data Voyager 2 sent back, which indicated that the uranium system was even stranger than they had thought.
Measurements from the spacecraft’s instruments showed that the planets and moons were inactive, unlike other satellites in the outer solar system. They also showed that Uranus’ protective magnetic field was strangely distorted. It was compressed and pushed away from the Sun.
The planet’s magnetic field traps any gases and other materials coming from the planet and its satellites. These could be substances from the oceans or geologic activity. “Voyager 2 found none, indicating that Uranus and its five largest moons were barren and inactive.
This came as a huge surprise because it is unlike other planets in the solar system and their moons.
But the new analysis has solved a decades-long mystery. It shows that Voyager 2 flew by on a bad day.
A new study shows that just as Voyager 2 flew past Uranus, the Sun was raging, creating a powerful solar wind that could have blown material away and temporarily distorted the magnetic field.
According to Dr. William Dunn of University College London, for 40 years we have had a misconception of what Uranus and its five largest moons typically look like.
“These results suggest that the Uranian system may be much more interesting than previously thought. There could be satellites there that could have the conditions necessary for life, they could have oceans beneath the surface that could be teeming with fish!”
NASA is planning to launch a new mission, the Uranus orbiter, to return to the planet in 10 years for a more detailed study.
