Mysterious rings around Uranus indicate hidden moons orbiting the ice giant

Two grayscale images tiled showing a ring around a bright sphere on a grainy monochrome background

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, … Read more

Scientists investigated the rings around Uranus to find out how it got there

Scientists investigated the rings around Uranus to find out how it got there

Uranus’ cold, icy world is surrounded by a pair of rings that orbit the planet at twice the distance as the main ring system. Each ring tells a different story. The outermost ring appears blue, while the inner ring is reddish. Astronomers have long wondered why the rings are so different and how each one … Read more