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Ocean of Water Inside Uranus and Neptune
Context:
A new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), proposes that there might be a layer of water inside Uranus and Neptune, which could explain the strange magnetic fields of both planets.
More on News:
- A study suggests that there might be an ocean of water inside both Uranus and Venus.
- This hypothesis could help explain the strange magnetic fields observed around these planets, which differ significantly from other planets in the solar system.
Uranus and Neptune have unusual magnetic fields that are tilted and offset from the centre of the planets. This anomaly was first discovered when NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft passed by Uranus in 1986 and again when it passed Neptune in 1989.
Difference from Previous Models:
- Earlier models suggested that the interiors of Uranus and Neptune were more homogeneous, with less distinction between the water layer and the planet’s core.
- Militzer’s new model proposes that water separates from carbon, which could explain the magnetic anomalies observed on both planets.
The New Hypothesis:
- Burkhard Militzer, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, proposes that the strange magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune can be explained by a layer of water inside both planets, roughly 8,047 km thick, beneath their outer atmospheres.
- This “ocean” of water is mixed with hydrogen and has high conductivity, which could influence the magnetic fields of the planets.
Key Findings:
- Behaviour of Water at Extreme Pressure: The pressure within this layer of water is 60,000 times greater than Earth’s surface pressure, causing the water to behave more like a supercritical fluid (a state between liquid and gas) rather than typical liquid water.
- The extreme pressures and temperatures inside these planets cause water, methane, and ammonia to separate into distinct layers.
- Magnetic Fields: The layered structure of Uranus and Neptune could explain their unusual and disorganised magnetic fields, which differ significantly from the strong, dipolar magnetic fields of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Implications for Future Exploration:
- The new model of water oceans and their impact on magnetic fields could provide important clues for mission planning, especially when it comes to understanding the magnetic environment of these distant worlds.
- Including NASA’s proposed mission to Uranus in the next decade, potentially shedding light on the planet’s internal structure and magnetic field.
