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When Voyager 2 spacecraft The first and only mission to fly by Uranus in 1986, it defined astronomers’ understanding of the ice giant. But the data collected by the probe also revealed new mysteries that continue to baffle scientists in the decades since the historic flight.

Now, a new look at the data has revealed that Voyager 2 flew close to the distant planet during a rare event; This suggests that scientists’ current understanding of the planet may have been shaped and distorted by an unusual stellar coincidence.

Findings of the study published Monday in the journal Nature AstronomyIt may have solved some of the puzzles posed by Voyager 2’s strange Uranus readings.

“The spacecraft saw Uranus in conditions that occur only 4% of the time,” lead study author Jamie Jasinski, a space plasma physicist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement.

The research results could also reinforce the idea that Uranus is a largely misunderstood world, given that astronomers’ basic knowledge of the planet stems from an extraordinary anomaly.

Voyager 2’s flyby of sideways rotating Uranus revealed previously unknown rings and moons around the planet.

But the spacecraft’s observations of Uranus’ magnetosphere differed wildly from astronomers’ expectations, and scientists considered the planet an outlier among other large planets in our solar system, such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune.

Magnetospheres are protective bubbles around planets like Earth that have magnetic cores and magnetic fields and are guided by the planet’s magnetic field. These magnetic bubbles protect planets from the solar wind, a constantly flowing stream of energetic particles and gases from the sun.

Understanding how magnetospheres work around other planets not only helps scientists plan exploration missions, but also provides insight into how Earth’s magnetosphere works.

Voyager 2’s data showed that Uranus’ magnetosphere hosts unexpectedly strong electron radiation belts. Their intensity was similar to the huge radiation bands found around Jupiter.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, has a magnetic field 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s. NASA. The magnetic field captures charged particles and accelerates them to high speeds. The fast-moving particles release energy in the form of intense radiation that bombards Jupiter’s closest moons.

However, there was no apparent source for energetic particles to excite and increase the density of the belts seen around Uranus because there was a lack of plasma or ionized gas; This was odd because plasma is a common element in magnetospheres around other planets. .

Voyager 2’s observations of Uranus’ magnetosphere challenged the way astronomers understand how magnetic fields capture energetic particles and their radiation.

Astronomers were puzzled by the absence of plasma because five of Uranus’ icy moons were in the magnetosphere, and they were supposed to be producing ions within the magnetic bubble surrounding Uranus and some of its moons. This strange discovery led Voyager scientists to conclude that the moons were completely motionless.

But a new analysis of Voyager 2 data showed that Uranus experienced a rare cosmic event just before its flyby.

Days before the flyby, an intense solar wind event from the sun stirred space weather in the solar system. The solar wind slammed into Uranus and significantly compressed its magnetosphere, possibly pushing plasma out. But the solar wind also made Uranus’ magnetosphere more dynamic by feeding it electrons, strengthening the planet’s radiation belts, according to the new study.

“If Voyager 2 had arrived just a few days earlier, it would have observed a completely different magnetosphere on Uranus,” Jasinski said.

Uranus’ magnetosphere may resemble magnetic bubbles around other giant planets in our solar system, without any anomalies, the study authors said.

The findings also suggest that some of Uranus’ moons may be geologically active, possibly because they release ions into the magnetosphere before the solar wind temporarily blows the particles away.

“We emphasize that our understanding of the Uranian system is extremely limited, and our analysis shows that the results from Voyager 2’s flyby are similarly tentative,” the authors wrote in their study. “We recommend not ascribing any typicality to the magnetosphere of Uranus to the discoveries made by Voyager 2’s flyby.”

The Uranus flyby was “full of surprises,” and researchers immediately began looking for a way to explain the unexpected data, said Linda Spilker, project scientist for the twin Voyager probes at JPL and who served as one of Voyager 2’s mission scientists. In that case. Spilker was not involved in the new study.

“The magnetosphere that Voyager 2 measured was just a snapshot in time,” Spilker said. expression. “This new study explains some apparent contradictions and will once again change the way we look at Uranus.”

If astronomers’ knowledge of Uranus is based on a flyby under rare conditions, it suggests there may be good reason to revisit the ice giant. The James Webb Space Telescope helped reveal new information about Uranus; this includes highlighting the usually hidden Uranus. rings, moons, weather and atmosphere.

Fortunately, sending a special mission to study Uranus in the future has become a priority for NASA. 2022.

Decadal planetary survey, first dedicated Uranus Orbiter and Probe as the next big NASA mission. Following launch in the early 2030s, the proposed spacecraft would orbit the ice giant during flybys and send a probe to explore its atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the long-lived Voyager 2 has continued its journey and is now almost 13 billion miles (21 billion kilometers) from Earth, exploring interstellar space and contributing its unique perspective that will help astronomers understand the unexplored region beyond our solar system.