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Space & Astronomy

Uranus was struck by a massive proto-planet

By T.K. Randall
July 3, 2018 · Comment icon 21 comments

Uranus is tilted at an unusual angle. Image Credit: NASA
Scientists have found evidence of a collision between the gas giant and an object twice the size of the Earth.
Uranus is unique among the planets in our solar system due to its peculiar tilt which sees it rotate on an axis set almost 90 degrees off of the orbital plane of the Sun.

Now scientists at Durham University have managed to confirm previous theories suggesting that Uranus acquired its tilt after colliding with a huge proto-planet in the early days of the solar system.

Using a computer simulation, the researchers determined that debris from this proto-planet may have formed a thin shell around Uranus' ice layer, trapping heat inside the core and bringing about freezing conditions in the outer atmosphere.
"Uranus spins on its side, with its axis pointing almost at right angles to those of all the other planets in the solar system," said study lead author Jacob Kegerreis.

"We ran more than 50 different impact scenarios using a high-powered super computer to see if we could recreate the conditions that shaped the planet's evolution."

"Our findings confirm that the most likely outcome was that the young Uranus was involved in a cataclysmic collision with an object twice the mass of Earth, if not larger, knocking it on to its side and setting in process the events that helped create the planet we see today."

Source: Sky News | Comments (21)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #12 Posted by Ell 6 years ago
I am pleased to make your acquaintance.
Comment icon #13 Posted by Waspie_Dwarf 6 years ago
Okay then, rather than continuing your negative, anti-science posts, would you care to explain, given that there is currently no such thing as a time machine ,exactly HOW proof of an event which probably occurred billions of years ago could be obtained.
Comment icon #14 Posted by Ell 6 years ago
Unless you genuinely classify speculation as scientific proof, I take offence at your insinuation. Anyone can roll a couple of dice and assert that his two sixes constitute scientific proof. It ain't. One cannot prove a negative. If some hypothetical planet collided with Uranus, the debris ought to be all over the solar system: in the asteroid belt, on Mars, on Earth and on the Moon. When some geologist offers Uranus meteorites and hypothetical planet meteorites from billions of years old rock layers, I will be interested. Until then it is just a couple of guys who say they have thrown two six... [More]
Comment icon #15 Posted by qxcontinuum 6 years ago
I see an hear more hypothesis matching some of my personal observations regarding a celestial body which not just in the past but relatively recently ( in astronomical figures) have caused havoc. Mars was probably the latest to be impacted.  Could be planet x or a planet which ended cstaclismically ... hard to say. The most intriguing discovery for me remains the new age established for Saturn rings. Dating now back to 60 millions of years only .
Comment icon #16 Posted by Tom the Photon 6 years ago
A fundamental tenet of good science is its ability to recognise its limitations, and to adapt to new ideas, research and evidence.  Old theories must be dropped if new evidence shows they cannot be correct: examples include phlogiston, aether, spontaneous generation, etc. (See here for more examples.) In my opinion the greater risk to scientific progress is not from sceptical interrogatives, rather from the unquestioning acceptance of conjecture as factual by the credulous.  It is most damaging when such people have positions of influence, such as news editors or politicians: politicians ... [More]
Comment icon #17 Posted by TripGun 6 years ago
So they have confirmed the best guess? Ugh
Comment icon #18 Posted by quiXilver 9 months ago
Fascinating to ponder. Thanks for sharing.
Comment icon #19 Posted by Hammerclaw 9 months ago
Object twice size of Earth hit Uranus and caused it to tilt | Science & Tech News | Sky News
Comment icon #20 Posted by Abramelin 9 months ago
So it's essentially the same explanation as Bison posted more than 5 years ago?
Comment icon #21 Posted by Hammerclaw 9 months ago
Yes, this is an undead thread, stumbling around, blindly, after the Zombie Apocalypse. 


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