The Moons of Uranus May Hold the Key to Finding Missing Planets
Key takeaways
- A recent article published in Icarus analyzed 122 possible scenarios of such instability to assess how the satellite systems of the "left behind" planets would have reacted.
- Most likely, the authors point out, the moons of Uranus were destabilized at least twice in the past: First by the impact that tilted the planet, and then by close encounters between giant planets during the instability.
- Miranda, the moon of Uranus considered the most unusual in the solar system.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Photograph: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story We have an idea of what the solar system's past was like: It was violent and chaotic. However, we are still studying how violent it was. Current models suggest that at some point after their formation, the giant planets went through a phase of such extreme instability that one or even two bodies the size of Uranus or Neptune were ejected into interstellar space. If that scenario occurred, we may find clues in the most unexpected places in the solar system, such as the moons of Jupiter and, especially, those of Uranus.
A recent article published in Icarus analyzed 122 possible scenarios of such instability to assess how the satellite systems of the "left behind" planets would have reacted. The researchers concluded that it would be extremely difficult to explain the current characteristics of Uranus' moons without some episode of violent instability. And that type of instability only appears in models where more giant planets existed than we see today.
Most likely, the authors point out, the moons of Uranus were destabilized at least twice in the past: First by the impact that tilted the planet, and then by close encounters between giant planets during the instability. That chaos, fueled by the presence of one or more planets that were later ejected, would have destroyed and rebuilt the system of moons to what we see today.