Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun. (Image courtesy of NASA)
Researchers have found that Uranus radiates its own internal heat — even more than it receives from sunlight — a discovery that contradicts data collected by NASA's Voyager 2 probe nearly 40 years ago.
Led by Xinyue Yang of the University of Houston, the scientists analyzed decades of data from spacecraft and computer models and found that Uranus emits 12.5 percent more internal heat than it receives from the Sun. However, that amount is still significantly less than the internal heat of other outer solar system planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, which emit 100 percent more heat than they receive from our star.
The team behind the study argues that Uranus's internal heat could help unlock the secrets of the strange, tilted world's origins. “This indicates that it is still slowly losing heat from its early history, which is an important piece of the puzzle to help us understand its origins and evolution over time,” Wang said.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
