• UGI USER
  • Jul 29, 2024
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MYSTERY OF ARIEL’S SURFACE

Why in the news?

  • The Solar System has unresolved mysteries, including the Sun’s hot corona and Titan’s dense atmosphere.
  • Triton’s opposite rotation and potential shared origin with Pluto have been recently explained.

About Discovery on Ariel:

  • NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope detected a potential subsurface ocean on Uranus’s moon Ariel.
  • Despite its distance from the Sun, Ariel’s surface has frozen CO₂, which should have vaporised.

Findings and Implications:

  • Carbon monoxide found on Ariel suggests either lower surface temperatures or a subsurface ocean producing carbon oxides.
  • Cracks and grooves on Ariel’s surface may be evidence of icy slope and carbon compounds gushing out.
  • Signs of carbonate minerals indicate water-rock interaction, potentially confirming Ariel as another water-bearing moon.
source:lotusarise
About the Uranus Mission:

  • Launch: Planned for 2031/32 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy.
  • Journey: Includes a gravity assist from Jupiter; arrival in 2044/45.
  • Objectives: Probe Uranus’ interior; orbiter to study atmosphere, magnetosphere, and moons.
  • Scientific Interest: Examine five large moons for insights into ocean worlds.

About Uranus:

Position: Seventh planet from the Sun, discovered by William Herschel in 1781.

Classification: Gas giant with a unique axial tilt of 98°, causing extreme seasonal variations.

Physical Characteristics:

  • Size & Mass: Diameter ~50,724 km; third-largest by diameter, fourth by mass.
  • Composition: Mainly hydrogen and helium with methane, giving a blue-green hue.
  • Atmosphere: Bands of clouds, high-speed winds, temperatures as low as -224°C.

Unique Features:

  • Tilted Axis: Rolls along its orbit due to extreme axial tilt.
  • Rings: 13 faint rings discovered in 1977.
  • Moons: 27 moons, including Titania, Oberon, Ariel, and Miranda.