Astronomers may have discovered the irregular axis ratio of Uranus

According to a new study accepted in the scientific journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, Astronomers may have discovered the reason behind the irregular axis. Uranus. Despite its resemblance to Neptune, the planet has several features, such as its axis of rotation at an inclination of 98 degrees of its orbital plane.

The paper, spearheaded by astronomer Melanie Saillenfest of the National Center for Scientific Research in France, claims that this mysterious behavior is due to a moon migrating to a distant region of the planet. Its tilt is so strong that it rotates clockwise unlike most planets in the Solar System.

According to the researchers, Uranus doesn’t need to be a large moon to affect its migration, as about half the mass of our natural satellite would be sufficient to cause the migration. To explain the behavior, the researchers created simulation models that show the action responsible for shifting the planet’s axis.

“To our knowledge, it is the first time that a single mechanism has been able to tilt Uranus and fossilize its spin axis in its final state, without resorting to a giant impact or other external phenomenon as a natural consequence of dynamics,” the researchers wrote. said. The scientists explain in the study.

Uranus in motion

However, the explanation also raised another interesting question, but even harder to answer: After all, what is the reason for the planet’s similarity to Neptune? Both have similar masses, radii, spin speeds, atmospheric composition and dynamics.

The similarities may suggest that Uranus and Neptune were born together, so astronomers began looking for other explanations for the migration, such as an oscillation that may have begun in a giant ring system early in the Solar System’s history.

As mysterious as it may seem, it’s not absurd to discover that a moon of the planet is migrating, as our own natural satellite is moving away about 4 centimeters per year. However, researchers are still trying to figure out if Uranus is home to a moon large enough to produce such a high rate of migration.

Scientists have also discovered that Jupiter’s tilt could increase from 3% to 37% in a few billion years. Saturn’s angle of 26.7 degrees, on the other hand, may be due to a rapid migration from Titan, which is considered its largest moon – even then, the event did not significantly affect the rotation rate of the planet.