What does the first discovery of infrared aurorae on the planet Uranus mean?

Uranus It is a planet that consists of water, methane and ammonia in a small rocky center. Its atmosphere consists of hydrogen and helium, such as Jupiter And SaturnBut it also contains methane. Methane is what gives Uranus the colour blue. Its magnetic field is not aligned with the axes in which it rotates. While scientists have not yet found an explanation for this, it is possible There are clues in the afterglow of Uranus that they have just discovered Astronomy scientists University of Leicesterin it United kingdom.

The auroral phenomenon occurs when strongly charged particles are sent downward and hit the planet's atmosphere through magnetic field lines.

On planets like Uranus, whose atmosphere is composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, auroras are estimated to radiate light at wavelengths such as infrared (IR) outside the visible spectrum.

Now astronomers at the University of Leicester He used infrared measurements of the aurora by analyzing specific wavelengths of the energy emitted Around the planet using a telescope Second cake in Hawaii. Thanks to this procedure, they confirmed for the first time the presence of infrared aurorae on Uranus, as stated in their new report. document Which was just published in the magazine Nature astronomy.

This discovery could answer questions about the origins of the magnetic fields of planets in the solar system, and perhaps about the possibility of life on other worlds.

From the measurements, scientists analyzed the light (emission lines) of these planets, similar to a barcode. The temperature of the charged particle, known as H3+, and the density of this layer of the atmosphere affect the brightness of the lines it emits in the infrared spectrum. As a result, the lines act as a planetary thermometer.

With small differences in temperature, their observations showed large increases in H3+ density in Uranus' atmosphere, which is consistent with ionization caused by infrared aurorae. This helps understand the magnetic fields of exoplanets in our solar system, and may be useful in identifying other sites that support life.

Lead author Emma ThomasStudent at the College of Physics and Astronomy University of Leicester“All gas giant planets, including Uranus, are hundreds of degrees K/C hotter than models predict if they were heated only by the Sun, leaving us with the big question of how these planets could be so much hotter,” he stated. Warmer than expected. One theory suggests that the cause is active auroras, which generate and push their heat towards the magnetic equator.

Most of the exoplanets discovered so far belong to the sub-Neptune class and are therefore similar in size to Neptune and Uranus. This could also mean similar magnetic and atmospheric properties.

“By analyzing Uranus's aurora, which is directly connected to the planet's magnetic field and atmosphere, we can make predictions about the same variables on these worlds, and thus about their suitability for life,” Thomas said.

The paper they published is the culmination of 30 years of study of the aurora on Uranus, which finally revealed infrared radiation and began a new era of research on the planet.

“Our results will expand knowledge about ice giant auroras and enhance our understanding of planetary magnetic fields in our solar system, on exoplanets and even on our own planet. He continued: “We do not have many studies on this phenomenon, and therefore we do not know what its effects are on systems that depend on Earth's magnetic field, such as satellites, communications and navigation.

But he explained that this process occurs every day on Uranus due to the unique imbalance between the magnetic and rotational axes. “Continued study of the aurora will provide data about what we can expect when the Earth shows a polar reversal in the future and what that will mean for its magnetic field,” he concluded.