For the first time, NASA scientists have strong evidence of a polar cyclone on Uranus. By examining radio waves emitted from the ice giant, they detected the phenomenon at the planet\u2019s North Pole. The findings confirm a broad truth about all planets with substantial atmospheres in our solar system: Whether the planets are composed mainly of rock or gas, their atmospheres show signs of a swirling vortex at the poles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scientists have long known that Uranus\u2019 South Pole has a swirling feature. NASA\u2019s Voyager 2 imaging of methane cloud tops there showed winds at the polar center spinning faster than over the rest of the pole. Voyager\u2019s infrared measurements observed no temperature changes, but the new findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, do. Using huge radio antenna dishes of the Very Large Array in New Mexico, they peered below the ice giant\u2019s clouds, determining that the circulating air at the North Pole seems to be warmer and drier \u2013 the hallmarks of a strong cyclone. Collected in 2015, 2021, and 2022, the observations went deeper into Uranus\u2019 atmosphere than any before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese observations tell us a lot more about the story of Uranus. It\u2019s a much more dynamic world than you might think,\u201d said lead author Alex Akins of NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. \u201cIt isn\u2019t just a plain blue ball of gas. There\u2019s a lot happening under the hood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uranus is showing off more these days, thanks to the planet\u2019s position in orbit. It\u2019s a long haul around the solar system for this outer planet, taking 84 years to complete a full lap, and for the last few decades the poles weren\u2019t pointed toward Earth. Since about 2015, scientists have had a better view and have been able to look deeper into the polar atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ingredients for a Cyclone
The cyclone on Uranus, compactly shaped with warm and dry air at its core, is much like those spotted by NASA\u2019s Cassini at Saturn. With the new findings, cyclones (which rotate in the same direction their planet rotates) or anti-cyclones (which rotate in the opposite direction) have now been identified at the poles on every planet in our solar system except for Mercury, which has no substantial atmosphere. But unlike hurricanes on Earth, cyclones on Uranus and Saturn aren\u2019t formed over water (neither planet is known to have liquid water), and they don\u2019t drift; they\u2019re locked at the poles. Researchers will be watching closely to see how this newly discovered Uranus cyclone evolves in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDoes the warm core we observed represent the same high-speed circulation seen by Voyager?\u201d Akins asked. \u201cOr are there stacked cyclones in Uranus\u2019 atmosphere? The fact that we\u2019re still finding out such simple things about how Uranus\u2019 atmosphere works really gets me excited to find out more about this mysterious planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Academies\u2019 2023 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey prioritized exploring Uranus. In preparation for such a mission, planetary scientists are focused on bolstering their knowledge about the mysterious ice giant\u2019s system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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