[ad_1]
According to the results of a new study, Uranus would have survived a dramatic collision with a protoplanet twice, or even three times the size of the Earth, about four billion years ago. The cataclysmic event would explain a number of mysteries surrounding Uranus, including the reason for the dramatic inclination of the gaseous giant and the formation of his moons.
Uranus is undoubtedly one of the most underrated planets in our solar system, and for good reason. It's probably the most boring to watch, and, because of its unfortunate name, has been done the goal (pun intended) of countless terrible jokes. The last point was not helped when, recently, it was confirmed by spectroscopic badysis that the gaseous giant smelled of rotten eggs.
But look beyond his dull face and Uranus really has a lot to do. For example, Uranus has its own ring system, and hosts an extended family of fascinating moons, many of which are named for Shakespeare's characters.
He also has the strange factor. Example: Uranus is the only planet in our solar system that turns on its side. Astronomers believe that the cause of the unusual orientation of Uranus is probably rooted in the formation period of our solar system.
The solar system merged four billion years ago into a period of incredible chaos and violence. Meanwhile, it is thought that the evolutionary trajectories of entire planets have been remodeled by cataclysmic collisions with huge impactors.
These collisions can fundamentally alter the characteristics of a planet. For example, the dominant theory on the creation of the Earth Moon involves a dramatic rendezvous between our blue marble and a body the size of Mars known as Theia. The debris resulting from this collision slowly merged into the satellite we know today, which continues to affect our planet, for example by slowing its spin and creating tides with its gravitational influence.
The new study sought to use advanced computer simulations to determine the consequences of a mbadive collision on Uranus and how it might have affected its evolution, and led to the eccentric planet that astronomers today observe. ; hui. Some of the more specific objectives of the research were to shed light on why Uranus is spinning on his side, why his atmosphere is so surprisingly cold, and why his many moons orbit on the unusual incline of the gas giant.
"Uranus is turning on its side, with its axis pointing almost perpendicular to those of all the other planets in the solar system," comments lead author Jacob Kegerreis, a PhD researcher at the Institute of Computational Cosmology of the Sun. 39, University of Durham. "It was certainly caused by a giant impact, but we know very little about how it really happened and how such a violent event affected the planet."
The team used a powerful supercomputer to perform more than 50 different simulations involving a proto-Uranus hit by a series of three impactors that were respectively one, two and three times the mbad of the Earth.
The high-resolution simulations revealed that Uranus was probably struck by a young protoplanet that was at least twice the mbad of the Earth and was composed largely of rocks and ice, similar in some respects to the rocky core of the gas giant itself. .
The force of this collision would have been enough to hit the planet on its side. Simulation results also suggest that if the impactor had hit Uranus at a glance, the gas giant could have retained most of its atmosphere – more than 90% in some scenarios, rather than to have blown in the space.
The study could also help solve a long-standing mystery regarding the extremely low temperature, -216 ° C (-357 ° F), of the atmosphere of Uranus. It is possible that the debris from the impactor has formed a thin layer near the planet's ice sheet, which would prevent the heat from the center of the planet from moving upwards. atmosphere.
Computer collisions also showed that the impact between a young Uranus and a proto-planet could have shed significant amounts of rocks and ice in orbit, which would have settled around the inclined plane. From this debris, the moons of the gaseous giant could have coalesced, or the influence of the material could have changed the orbit of the existing moons, aligning them.
Debris from the impact could also explain the unusual nature of the off-axis magnetic field of Uranus, which, according to the study, could be deformed by unevenly distributed pieces of melted ice and pieces of rock deposited in the core during the chaotic. Appointment.
The research is not only useful for expanding the understanding of the astronomer of our own solar system. Uranus shares many features with the extraterrestrial worlds frequently discovered by orbital observatories such as the NASA Kepler Space Telescope. Astronomers can use the knowledge from the new study and apply it to better understand the atmospheres and stories of these distant worlds.
So the next time you are looking for a planet to make a cheap shot, maybe spend on Uranus, he went through a lot of things … more Jupiter could be shot down from ankle or two.
The results are detailed in a new article published in The Astrophysical Journal .
Source: University of Durham
See the gallery – 7 images
[ad_2]
Source link
