The planet Uranus and its five largest moons may not be the cold, lifeless worlds scientists once believed. Instead, they could have hidden oceans and even the potential to support life, according to new research.
Most of our knowledge of Uranus comes from NASA's Voyager 2 mission, which visited nearly 40 years ago. However, a recent analysis reveals that Voyager's encounter occurred during an intense solar storm, potentially skewing our perception of the Uranian system, the BBC reported.
Uranus, an icy, ringed planet at the solar system's edge, is one of the coldest and most unusual planets due to its extreme tilt, making it appear as if it had been tipped over.
The latest findings reveal that Voyager 2's visit coincided with severe solar activity, which may have temporarily disrupted the planet's magnetic field and swept away atmospheric material. For decades, this led scientists to a possibly inaccurate view of Uranus and its moons, explained Dr William Dunn from University College London.
"These results suggest the Uranian system might be far more intriguing than we thought," Dr. Dunn said. "There may be moons there with conditions that could support life, possibly hiding oceans below their surfaces."
Linda Spilker, a young scientist on the Voyager team when the Uranus data arrived, now serves as the project scientist for the Voyager missions. She expressed excitement about the new findings, published in Nature Astronomy. "It's thrilling to think there's potential for life in the Uranian system," she told BBC News. She added, "It's amazing that scientists are still uncovering new insights from data collected in 1986."
Dr Affelia Wibisono of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies, who was not involved in the research, described the findings as "very exciting," noting the importance of re-examining old data, as new discoveries may be hidden within them.
NASA is already planning a return mission to Uranus, the Uranus Orbiter and Probe, expected to launch in the next decade. Dr. Jamie Jasinski from NASA, who led the re-analysis of the Voyager data, noted that insights from the recent study will shape the design and instruments of this upcoming mission to ensure it can accurately capture data unaffected by solar interference.
NASA's probe is expected to reach Uranus by 2045 when scientists hope to determine if these remote, icy moons could indeed host life.
