Instead, they may have oceans, and the moons may even be capable of supporting life, scientists say.
Uranus is a beautiful, icy ringed world in the outer reaches of our solar system.
The measurements from the spacecraft’s instruments indicated that the planets and moons were inactive, unlike the other moons in the outer solar system.
Linda Spilker was a young scientist working on the Voyager programme when the Uranus data came in.
“I’m also so pleased that so much is being done with the Voyager data.
A new study on Uranus’ moons increases the likelihood of life.
14 hours previously.
Ghosh Palab.
@BBCPallab is the science correspondent.
It’s possible that Uranus and its five largest moons are not the lifeless, sterile worlds that scientists have long believed them to be.
Rather, they might have oceans, and scientists say the moons might even be able to sustain life.
The Voyager 2 spacecraft, which visited them almost 40 years ago, collected a large portion of the information we currently possess about them.
However, a recent analysis reveals that Voyager’s visit was accompanied by a strong solar storm, which created a false impression of the true nature of the Uranian system.
The stunning, icy-ringed planet Uranus is located in the outermost region of our solar system. It is one of the planets with the lowest temperatures. Perhaps the strangest of all the worlds, it is also skewed on its side, as though it had been knocked over.
When Voyager 2 flew by it in 1986 and returned with breathtaking images of the planet and its five main moons, we got our first up-close look.
The information that Voyager 2 returned, however, showed that the Uranian system was even more bizarre than scientists had previously believed, which further astounded them.
The measurements from the spacecraft’s instruments showed that, in contrast to the other moons in the outer solar system, the planets and moons were dormant. Additionally, they demonstrated the peculiar distortion of Uranus’ shielding magnetic field. After being pushed away from the Sun, it was crushed.
Anything that escapes a planet or its moons, including gases, is trapped by the magnetic field of the planet. Geological activity or the oceans may be the source of these. None were discovered by Voyager 2, indicating that Uranus and its five largest moons were dormant and dormant.
Since this was different from the other planets and their moons in the solar system, it was a huge surprise.
However, the long-standing mystery has been resolved by the new analysis. It demonstrates how Voyager 2 passed on a bad day.
According to the new study, the Sun was raging when Voyager 2 passed Uranus, producing a strong solar wind that may have blown the material away and momentarily warped the magnetic field.
According to Dr. William Dunn of University College London, we have therefore had a false impression of what Uranus and its five largest moons are typically like for the past forty years.
These findings imply that the Uranian system might be far more fascinating than previously believed. There might be moons with the conditions required for life, and they might have subterranean oceans that are teeming with fish.
When Linda Spilker received the Uranus data, she was a young scientist working on the Voyager program. She continues to serve as the Voyager missions’ project scientist today. The new findings, which have been published in the Journal of Nature Astronomy, thrilled her, she said.
“I am really thrilled to see that there is potential for life in the Uranian system, and the results are fascinating,” she told BBC News.
The fact that so much is being done with the Voyager data also makes me very happy. It’s incredible that researchers are still discovering new findings and results from the data we gathered in 1986.
The findings are “very exciting,” according to Dr. Affelia Wibisono of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, who is not affiliated with the research team.
“It demonstrates the value of reviewing historical data because, occasionally, it may reveal something novel that can aid in the development of the next generation of space exploration missions.”.
NASA is doing just that, in part because of the new research.
The last time Voyager 2 passed the icy planet and its moons was almost 40 years ago. In ten years, NASA plans to send a new mission called the Uranus Orbiter and Probe to return for a closer look.
The mission will need to consider his findings when planning the scientific survey and designing its instruments, according to Dr. Jamie Jasinski of NASA, whose idea it was to reexamine the Voyager 2 data.
Voyager 2’s experience flying past the system during an anomalous event is a major source of inspiration for some of the instruments being designed for future spacecraft. Therefore, in order to best capture the science required to make discoveries, we must reconsider how precisely we will design the instruments on the new mission.
Scientists hope to discover whether these distant icy moons, which were previously believed to be dead worlds, could harbor life when NASA’s Uranus probe arrives in 2045.
