2023-05-29 02:40:00
Astronomers managed to observe for the first time a polar cyclone, a vortex of relatively hot air, on the planet Uranus, through the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope network, in the State of New Mexico, in the United States. The study was published in magazine Geophysical Research Letterson Tuesday the 23rd.
The discovery of the vortex on Uranus was carried out by detecting thermal emission, in the form of radio waves picked up by the VLA.
Polar cyclones are likely a common feature on all Solar System planets with atmospheres. They have already been observed on Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and the south pole of Uranus.
In general, the researchers believe that these vortices are formed by high-altitude atmospheric jet streams, even with “different details” on each planet.
Polar cyclone on Uranus has been ‘identified’ before
In 1986, NASA’s Voyager 2 probe reached Uranus’ orbit and detected changes in wind speed, which can reach 900 kilometers per hour, at the south pole of the star. These changes are consistent with the existence of a polar vortex there. However, the spacecraft failed to find a cyclone at the north pole.
Observing the poles of Uranus was considered a difficult task until more than eight years ago. This is due to the fact that Uranus orbits the Sun at an inclination of 97.8 degrees, so it was only possible to observe the equatorial region of the planet.
Since 2015, researchers have gotten a clearer view of Uranus’ north pole as that area receives more sunlight. In 2018 and 2022, the Hubble Space Telescope identified a bright cap in the region, and it was the first evidence of a polar cyclone in the north.
Read more
#Scientists #identify #polar #cyclone #planet #Uranus