New observations of Uranus’ mysterious outer rings show they are even more mysterious than astronomers thought, and their unusual properties hint at some mysterious events occurring in the planet’s satellite system.
These observations suggest that small, mysterious moons with surprisingly different properties are the source of the particles that make up the two outermost rings, and that there are probably more undiscovered moons around Uranus in addition to the 29 already known moons.
voyager 2 The first images of Uranus’ rings were captured as it passed the seventh planet. solar Since January 1986 hubble space telescope And a 10 meter telescope WM Keck Observatory More faint rings have been discovered around the ice giant on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea, bringing the total to 13. These rings are named after the Greek alphabet, and the last two outermost rings (𝛍) and nu (𝛎) weren’t discovered until the 2003-2005 observation period by a team led by Mark Showalter at the SETI Institute.
Mulling and Newling are particularly puzzling. These initial observations showed that Mulling was bluer than Newling, which was reddish. Color helps determine its composition. Blue indicates very small particles and red indicates dust. Mullings and newlings seem to have very different origins, but no one knew what their origins were.
Now, by adding the infrared data from james webb space telescope Building on old Hubble and Keck observations, Showalter and a team led by Imke de Pater at the University of California, Berkeley, were able to generate the first complete reflectance spectrum of the ring, showing how it reflects sunlight. The spectrum confirmed the color and gave some indication of its origin.
“By deciphering the light from these rings, we can track both their grain size distribution and composition, thereby revealing their origins and providing new insights into how the Uranus system and similar planets formed and evolved,” de Peyter said in the paper. statement.
Uranus’ moons are named after characters in William Shakespeare’s plays and poems by Alexander Pope, a conference started by John Herschel. Although the five large moons (Miranda, Oberon, Titania, Umbriel, and Ariel) orbit outside Uranus, the 14 smaller moons orbit closer to Uranus than these five moons, and it is among these 14 moons that Mulling and Newling are found.
Reflectance spectra show that Mullings are made of water and ice particles. this is, solar systemi.e., Saturn’s E ring produced by cryovolcanic activity on Saturn’s moons. Enceladusgeyser water spews into space. The ice particles in Mulling can be traced back to an irregular 12-kilometer-wide (7.5-mile) moon called Mab discovered by Showalter in 2003. However, most of the other inner moons tend to be dustier and rockier. Why is most of Mab ice?
New ring, on the other hand, is even dirtier, with 10% to 15% of its composition made up of carbon-rich organic compounds of the type typically found in the cold environments of the outer solar system. New rings are thought to be produced by dust thrown off from undiscovered moons within the inner moon group.
“The New Ring material comes from the impact of micrometeorites on and between invisible rock bodies rich in organic material, which must be orbiting between some of the known moons,” DePater said. “One interesting question is why the compositions of the matrices from which these rings are sourced are so different.”
There are hints that Mulling’s brightness is changing subtly, but we don’t yet understand what this clue is telling us. But given the small size and brightness of these tiny moons, it seems that solving the mysteries of Uranus and its ring and moon system will have to wait for a new mission.
“I think we’ll need close-up images from future Uranus spacecraft missions to answer that question,” Showalter said.
fortunately mission Returning to Uranus was the planet’s top priority in the National Academy of Sciences’ most recent decadal study, so it is currently in development with funding approval.
The study results were published in the journal April 16th. Geophysical Research Journal: Planets.
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