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JWST took notice of Uranus as it revolved for 15 hours in January 2025, revealing radiant auroral stripes (in white) close to the planet’s magnetic extremities.(Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, STScI, P. Tiranti, H. Melin, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb))
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Researchers utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope have just charted the enigmatic higher atmosphere of Uranus for the inaugural occasion, exposing unusual novel aspects of the planet’s peculiar magnetic sphere and shimmering auroras.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) perceived Uranus in orbit for a duration of 15 hours (close to a complete Uranian solar day) with the aim of understanding further regarding the manner in which ice giants allocate energy inside the superior layers of their atmospheres and scrutinizing the function of the planet’s auroras.
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To attain more insight, researchers made use of JWST in order to survey Uranus’ magnetosphere — the location around Uranus commanded by the planet’s magnetism.
“The magnetosphere enveloping Uranus manifests itself as one of the strangest within the expanse of the solar system,” elucidated the chief architect of the study, Paola Tiranti, who serves as a doctoral candidate attending Northumbria University situated in the U.K., as per the declaration issued by the European Space Agency (ESA). “At this juncture, Webb has validated the degree to which these effects penetrate the confines of the atmosphere.”
Mysterious lights on Uranus
JWST recorded “the most elaborately detailed portrayal up to the present” regarding how particles existing within the higher atmosphere enveloping Uranus gain energy (becoming ionized) through encounters with the sun, declared officials representing the ESA in their published statement. The inquiry, which was disseminated on Feb. 19 within the scientific publication Geophysical Research Letters, pursued the intent of quantifying the temperature and concentration of ions stretching up to a range of 3,100 miles (5,000 kilometers) overhead the cloud strata pertaining to Uranus.
Temperature and concentration have proven not to climax at equivalent altitudes, as indicated by JWST. The most elevated temperatures recorded for ions occurred in a span between approximately 2,500 and 3,100 miles (4,000 and 5,000 km), whereas the highest concentration was noted to exist at nearly 600 miles (1,000 km). This originates as a result of the “intricate structure” characteristic of the magnetic orientation encompassing the planet, according to the attestation presented by the ESA.
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That configuration additionally yielded a pair of radiant auroral belts in proximity to Uranus’ magnetic poles. Positioned amid the aurora zones, however, exists a “depletion” concerning ion concentration and auroral emissions alike — an occurrence most likely produced by shifts occurring among the planet’s magnetic-field orientations, clarified the researchers. Prior monitoring of Jupiter’s superior atmosphere has brought to light analogous transition localities.
Along with charting Uranus’ higher atmosphere utilizing a three-dimensional strategy for the preliminary occasion, JWST authenticated revelations originating from preceding investigations which signaled a progressive reduction in temperature occurring inside the planet’s superior atmosphere continuously since the early portions of the 1990s. The telescope exhibited that the approximate temperature characterizing Uranus’ atmosphere hovers around 307 degrees Fahrenheit (153 degrees Celsius), a lesser value when contrasted with the temperature assessments undertaken by supplementary spacecraft and terrestrial telescopes.
“Through unveiling Uranus’ vertical composition with such precision, Webb aids us in deciphering the energy equilibrium of the ice giants,” Tiranti expressed. “This constitutes a vital stride approaching the task of portraying gigantic planets positioned beyond our solar arrangement.”
IN CONTEXT
IN CONTEXTBrandon SpecktorSpace and Physics editor
Uranus, the single planet which revolves sideways as it proceeds around the sun, presents itself as a veritable oddity. In-depth monitoring remains restricted to a singular 1986 flyby implemented by Voyager 2, indicating substantial unaddressed findings which remain at a remove. Among JWST’s fundamental assignments pertains to examining the atmospheres enveloping solar system planets while harnessing infrared light, thereby presenting novel indicia pertaining to how our adjacent worlds were formed — together with whether foreign stellar organizations may adhere to analogous pathways. In summation, deciphering giant planets inclusive of Uranus will aid scientific experts to deduce possibly habitable domains encircling aloof stars.
Article Sources
Tiranti, P. I., Melin, H., Moore, L., Thomas, E. M., Knowles, K. L., Stallard, T. S., Roberts, K., & O’Donoghue, J. (2026). JWST discovers the vertical structure of Uranus’ ionosphere. Geophysical Research Letters, 53(4). https://doi.org/10.1029/2025gl119304
James Webb Space Telescope quiz: How well do you know the world’s most powerful telescope?TOPICSJames Webb Space TelescopeSolar System
Elizabeth HowellLive Science Contributor
Elizabeth Howell acted as a staff member composing reports at Space.com spanning from 2022 through 2024 whilst functioning as a frequent benefactor to Live Science and Space.com spanning from 2012 through 2022. Elizabeth’s reporting encompasses numerous exclusives involving the White House, speaking several times alongside the International Space Station, bearing witness to five human spaceflight launches positioned across a pair of landmasses, traversing parabolic flights, actively contributing in a spacesuit, plus participating within an analogous simulation portraying an excursion to Mars. Her most contemporary composition, “Why Am I Taller?” (ECW Press, 2022) bears the co-authorship of astronaut Dave Williams.
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