Uranus

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  New Study Suggests Uranus and Neptune May Contain More Rock Than Ice

  New models suggest Uranus and Neptune may contain significantly more rock than ice beneath their atmospheres. The findings challenge decades of planetary science and could lead to a reclassification of the outer planets.

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  Uranus’ Outer Rings May Reveal Hidden Moons, Scientists Say

  New observations of Uranus reveal its outer rings contain ice and organic material, suggesting hidden moonlets. The findings offer new clues about the planet’s ring system and the formation of its mysterious satellites.

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  James Webb Telescope Maps Uranus in 3D for the First Time; Data Reveals Hidden Storms, Methane Clouds

  The James Webb Space Telescope has produced the first 3D map of Uranus’s upper atmosphere, tracking temperatures and ion densities up to 5,000 kilometers above its clouds. The observations reveal bright auroras shaped by the planet’s tilted magnetic field and confirm that Uranus is still slowly cooling over long timescales.

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  Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock-Dominated Planets, Study Suggests

  Uranus and Neptune may not be true ice giants after all. New research using advanced hybrid simulations suggests the distant planets could be dominated by rocky material rather than water-rich ices. The findings challenge decades of planetary models and may help explain the planets’ unusual, non-dipolar magnetic fields. Scientists say future dedi...

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  Uranus and Neptune May Be Rocky Worlds Not Ice Giants, New Research Shows

  A new analysis challenges decades-old assumptions about Uranus and Neptune, revealing that both planets may contain far more rock than icy materials. These findings help explain their strange magnetic fields and show that traditional "ice giant" models may be incomplete. Scientists say only dedicated future missions can uncover the true interior ma...

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  James Webb Telescope Discovers Tiny New Moon Orbiting Uranus

  A team from the Southwest Research Institute has discovered a tiny new moon orbiting Uranus using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The moon, called S/2025 U1, is just 6 miles (10 kilometers) wide, too small for Voyager 2 to detect during its 1986 flyby. This discovery brings Uranus’s total known moons to 29, with S/2025 U1 orbiting 35,000 mil...

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  New Study Reveals Uranus Generates Its Own Internal Heat

  The amount of heat emitted from Uranus is also influenced by its extremely long seasons, each lasting over 20 years.

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  Uranus Found Emitting Internal Heat, Reviving Hopes for Flagship NASA Mission

  Astronomers have discovered that Uranus emits 12% more heat than it receives from sunlight, contradicting past data from Voyager 2. The internal warmth likely comes from leftover energy in the planet’s core, offering clues to its tilt and interior structure. This unexpected heat has intensified calls for a flagship NASA mission to Uranus. Scienti...

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  Hubble Finds Cosmic Dust Coating Uranus’ Moons, Not Radiation Scars

  New Hubble Space Telescope observations have upended decades of expectations about Uranus’ moons. Scientists once thought the planet’s magnetic field darkened their backsides with radiation, but the latest data shows Titania and Oberon are collecting space dust on their leading sides instead. This “cosmic bug splatter” effect suggests dust ...

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  NASA Observes Rare Uranus Occultation, Unveiling New Atmospheric and Ring Details

  NASA captured a rare stellar occultation of Uranus this month, providing fresh data about the ice giant’s atmosphere and rings. Scientists measured temperature changes and atmospheric composition, offering new insights since the last major occultation in 1996. The findings could help guide future exploration missions and deepen our understanding ...

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  Scientists Finally Discover How Long a Day Lasts on Uranus

  Astronomers confirm Uranus’ rotation period using internal oscillation modeling for the first time. On Uranus, a day just lasts far longer. More precise rotational time observations of the gas giant should enable scientists to plan visits to investigate it. Unlike on Mars and Earth, savage windstorms make it far more difficult to identify the rot...

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  Mysterious Interstellar Object Might Have Shifted Four Planets’ Paths, Study Finds

  A mysterious interstellar object, estimated to be eight times the mass of Jupiter, may have significantly altered the orbits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune billions of years ago. A study suggests that this body passed remarkably close to the Sun, potentially influencing planetary trajectories. Simulations conducted by researchers indicate ...

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  Interstellar Object Could Have Shifted Trajectories of Four Planets, New Research Shows

  A recent study suggests that an interstellar object, possibly as massive as eight times Jupiter, may have passed through the solar system billions of years ago, significantly altering the orbits of its outer planets—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Using computer simulations, researchers found that in about 1% of the scenarios, such a close ...

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  Hubble Telescope Documents 10 Years of Dramatic Changes on Outer Planets

  NASA’s Hubble Telescope has tracked atmospheric and seasonal changes on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune over ten years. Key findings include shifts in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, Saturn’s seasonal phenomena, Uranus’ polar brightness, and Neptune’s storm activity. These insights, part of NASA’s Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) p...

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  Potential For Life Found On Uranus' Moons, Scientists Reveal

  A recent analysis reveals that Voyager's encounter occurred during an intense solar storm, potentially skewing our perception of the Uranian system.