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Astronomers from the University of Durham led an international team of experts to study how Uranus had tipped on his side and what consequences a giant impact would have had on evolution of the planet.
The team executed the first high-resolution computer simulations of various massive collisions with the ice giant to try to determine how the planet has evolved.
The research confirms an earlier study that indicated that Uranus' slanted position was caused by a collision with a massive object – probably a young proto. -planet made of rock and ice – during the formation of the solar system about four billion years ago.
The simulations also suggest that the debris from the impactor could form a thin shell near the edge of the planet's ice sheet and trap heat. emanating from the nucleus of Uranus
The researchers said that trapping internal heat could partly help explain the extremely cold temperature of Uranus from the outside atmosphere of the planet minus 216 Celsi Jacob Kegerreis, PhD researcher at the Institute of Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham, said: "Uranus rotates on its side, with its axis almost perpendicular to those of all the others." other planets in the solar system.
"This was certainly caused by a giant impact, but we know very little about how it actually happened and how such a violent event affected the planet. . 50 different impact scenarios using a powerful supercomputer to see if we could recreate the conditions that have shaped the evolution of the planet.
"Our results confirm that the most likely outcome was that the young Uranus was involved in a cataclysmic collision with an object twice the mass of the Earth, if not more, by darkening it and setting them up. events that helped to create the planet we see today. "
How did Uranus manage to mosphere when a violent collision could have sent him into the world? space.
From the simulations, this can most likely be explained by the impact of the striking object on the planet.
The collision was strong enough to affect the inclination of Uranus, but the planet was able to retain the majority of its atmosphere.
Researchers say it could also help explain the formation of Uranus' rings and moons, with simulations suggesting that the impact could drop rocks and ice
The Rock and the Ice could then agglomerate to form the planet's inner satellites and possibly alter the rotation of any pre-existing moons already orbiting Uranus.
The simulations show that the impact could have
This could help explain the inclined magnetic field and off center Uranus.
Uranus is similar to the most common type of exoplanets. The researchers hope their discoveries will help explain the evolution of these planets and better understand their chemical makeup.
Dr. Luis Teodoro, BAER / NASA Ames Research Center, said: "All evidence indicates that giant impacts are common during planet formation, and with this kind of research we get now a better overview of their effect on potentially habitable exoplanets. "
The results were published in The Astrophysical Journal. ]
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