NASA has issued an unexpected statement that calls previous ideas about Uranus into question. This planet, which has always been an enigma for science, could be hiding secrets that have gone unnoticed for decades. The announcement has reopened the debate about its origin, its structure, and its thermal evolution.
For decades, astronomers have maintained that Uranus did not have a significant internal heat source. That idea was based on data collected by Voyager 2 in 1986, the only data that provided a direct measurement of the planet's heat. However, new research has revealed that Uranus emits more energy than it absorbs from the Sun, which indicates that it does generate heat from its interior.
New evidence alters our perception of the seventh planet
This finding directly contradicts what was previously believed about Uranus's energy balance. NASA and University of Oxford scientists have used advanced computer models to reevaluate how the planet reflects sunlight and how it emits heat. The result is that it releases approximately 15% more energy than it receives, a figure that can only be explained by an internal heat source.
Until this moment, scientists thought Uranus was the only giant planet in the solar system that did not emit additional heat. While Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune radiate leftover energy from their formation, Uranus seemed "thermally switched off." This new measurement completely changes that diagnosis and raises new hypotheses about its thermal history.
Scientific research reveals hidden data
Amy Simon, planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, has explained that this mistaken view came from trusting a single data point from almost 40 years ago. "We performed numerous calculations to determine how much sunlight Uranus reflects and realized that, in fact, it's more reflective than previously estimated," Patrick Irwin explained. Thanks to the collection of data from multiple telescopes, Oxford researchers have finally been able to calculate a more precise estimate of the heat the planet radiates.
The model includes detailed information about clouds, hazes, and seasonal changes, key elements that affect how Uranus's atmosphere behaves. These factors had been ignored or simplified in previous models, which led to an incomplete interpretation. With these new elements, the researchers have rewritten what we know about energy emission on Uranus.
The Uranus discovery redefines theories about the origin and evolution of planets
The fact that the planet emits more heat than it receives could have deep implications for understanding its origin. Some theories maintained that a major collision could have left Uranus without internal energy, but this finding contradicts that possibility. Other proposals, such as the planet's extreme age, also lose weight with this new evidence.
The importance of this discovery is not limited to Uranus. Many exoplanets detected in other solar systems have a size and composition similar to this blue giant. Understanding how its interior works can help better interpret those distant worlds, which remain, for the most part, a mystery for astronomy.
This breakthrough reinforces the growing interest in the scientific community for a space mission dedicated exclusively to Uranus, a planet still little explored. Meanwhile, researchers will continue refining their models and observations to discover what processes keep the planet thermally active. What is clear is that Uranus is, once again, much more than we thought.