First X-rays from Uranus

(DESCRIPTION)

Text, News From The Universe. April 8, 2021

 

First X-rays from Uranus

 

The ice giant planet Uranus is the only planet in the Solar System that rotates on its side.

 

(SPEECH)

[COSMIC MUSIC]

 

(DESCRIPTION)

This unique orientation makes the first detections of X-rays from Uranus all the more intriguing.

 

X-ray light detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, shown in pink, has a few potential sources.

 

Image, a pink bulge sits centered on Uranus' equator.

Text, Scattered X-ray light from the Sun is a likely source.

 

The X-rays could be emitted when energetic particles collide with the planet's rings, as on Saturn.

 

Or, the X-rays may be from Uranus' auroras, which are more complex than usual, due to the planet's tilt.

 

These first X-ray detections are the beginning of a new way of understanding one of the most unique planets in our solar system.

 

This news was brought to you in part by the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, MA