Scientists have been able to peer into Uranus’ upper atmosphere for the first time thanks to the help of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) - and have documented the icy giant’s own version of the Northern Lights.
The JWST observed the planet rotating for 15 hours, nearly one Uranian day, and discovered that its magnetic pole is tilted by 60 degrees. They also found out that the planet’s upper atmosphere is full of ions.
On Earth, when charged particles such as electrons and ions collide with the upper atmosphere, an aurora such as the Northern Lights is produced.
“It's tilted and offset from the planet's rotation axis, which means its auroras sweep across the surface in complex ways,” said Paola Tiranti, a researcher at Northumbria University.
