New research unveils a surprising twist in the composition of our Solar System’s distant giants.
Because Uranus and Neptune are so far away, scientists only have educated guesses about the combination of ices and gases that make up these ice giants. While the general understanding is that these planets both have large amounts of water ice, a new study posits that a significant portion of that ice is likely actually methane.
describes the “surface” of Neptune as “extend to great depths, gradually merging into water and other melted ices over a heavier, solid core with about the same mass as Earth.”But scientists at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology state in a new, not-yet-peer reviewed study that the planet could contain much more methane ice than previously believed. The results were published on the pre-print server arXiv in March.
has recognized a mission to Uranus as of the “highest priority” as part of its Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey. Hopefully, when that mission finally arrives, we’ll learn for sure what really makes up these fascinating icy worlds.
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