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A storm is brewing on Uranus! NASA sees a swirling cyclone at the ice giant’s north pole for the first time
- NASA has detected a polar cyclone at the north pole of Uranus
- Discovery suggests all planets in the solar system have eddies at the poles
While Uranus undeniably has the funniest name of all the planets in our solar system, it remains the most undiscovered name, with only one spacecraft flying past the planet in the 1980s.
But thanks to advances in ground-based telescopes, we can now get unprecedented images of the icy giant while comfortably still on Earth.
Using the Very Large Array, NASA scientists have spotted a polar cyclone at the north pole of Uranus for the first time.
“These observations tell us much more about the story of Uranus. It’s a much more dynamic world than you might think,” said Alex Akins, lead author of the study.
“It’s not just any blue gas ball. There’s a lot going on under the hood.’
Using the Very Large Array, NASA scientists have seen for the first time what they believe is a polar cyclone at the north pole of Uranus
Scientists have long known that there is a swirling feature at the south pole of Uranus.
During its 1986 flyby of the icy giant, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft took pictures of the south pole, with the wind spinning faster in the polar center than over the rest of the pole.
Until now, however, it was unclear whether cyclones also exist at the north pole of Uranus.
Using the Very Large Array, which is located in New Mexico, the team was able to examine radio waves emitted by Uranus.
This showed that beneath the planet’s clouds, the circulating air at the North Pole appears to be warmer and drier.
According to NASA, this is a hallmark of a strong cyclone.
Uranus takes 84 years to make a full revolution around the sun, and in recent decades its poles have not pointed toward Earth.
Since 2015, however, we have a much better view, allowing scientists to look deeper into the polar atmosphere.
Uranus’ cyclone is compact in shape, with warm and dry air at its core — just like the storms on Saturn, according to NASA.
Overall, the discovery suggests that whether planets are mostly rock or gas, their atmospheres show signs of a swirling vortex at the poles.
During its 1986 flyby of the icy giant, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft took pictures of the south pole, with the wind spinning faster in the polar center than over the rest of the pole
Here on Earth, hurricanes form over water and drift, while on Uranus and Saturn, cyclones are attached to the poles.
NASA now hopes to track the cyclone to see how it develops over the years.
“Does the warm core we observed represent the same rapid circulation that Voyager saw?” Akins asked.
Or are there stacked cyclones in Uranus’ atmosphere?
“The fact that we’re still discovering such simple things about how Uranus’s atmosphere works makes me really excited to learn more about this mysterious planet.”
The study comes shortly after scientists from the National Academy of Scientists wrote a report urging NASA to launch the first mission to Uranus.
The report calls Uranus “one of the most intriguing bodies in the solar system,” and says studying it will improve our understanding of icy giants in general.
The group says the spacecraft should operate in the system for several years, orbit the ice giant and send a probe into its atmosphere.