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Uranus’ Day Just Got a Tad Longer, New Study Reveals
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Fresh insights into the solar system’s enigmatic ice giant, Uranus, have emerged as scientists utilizing the Hubble Space Telescope have refined the planet’s rotation period. According to new findings, a day on Uranus now clocks in at 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds.
Precise Measurement of Uranus Rotation
A meticulous analysis of data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope has definitively established the length of a single rotation of Uranus. The research indicates that the planet completes one full spin in 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds. This duration is notably 28 seconds longer than previous estimations made by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft during its flyby in the 1980s.
Decade of Aurora Observations Provides Accuracy
A team of researchers, primarily from France, conducted a thorough examination of a decade’s worth of aurora observations to precisely track the magnetic poles of this ice giant planet. This extensive tracking effort allowed for a more accurate determination of the rotational period of Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun. Located at a considerable distance from the Sun, Uranus takes approximately 84 Earth years to complete a single orbit around it.
Hubble’s Continuous Observation Key to Discovery
“The sustained and uninterrupted observations provided by Hubble were absolutely essential for this discovery,” stated Laurent Lamy of the Paris Observatory, the lead author of the study, in an official release.
New Method for Measuring Planetary Rotation
Lamy and his international team of planetary science experts believe that this innovative methodology can be applied to accurately ascertain the rotation of any celestial body that exhibits auroras and possesses a magnetosphere. This technique offers a valuable new tool for astronomical observations across the cosmos.
Published Findings and Hubble’s Anniversary
The findings of this significant astronomy research have been published in the esteemed journal, Nature Astronomy. Interestingly, this report arrives just a few weeks ahead of the 35th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope’s launch. NASA’s space shuttle Discovery successfully transported the groundbreaking space telescope into orbit on April 24, 1990, marking a pivotal moment in space exploration.