Uranus Is 12.5 Percent Hotter Than We Thought, And Scientists Want A Closer Look

Uranus Is 12.5 Percent Hotter Than We Thought, And Scientists Want A Closer Look

When the Voyager spacecraft took a look at Uranus in 1986, it may have missed something huge.

Uranus Emits More Than Thought

Since Voyager 2 visited Uranus in 1986, scientists have debated the odd ice giant’s heat balance. The other giant planets of our solar system — Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune — all emit much more heat than they absorb from the sun, indicating that they have strong internal heat sources. Voyager 2’s measurements from Uranus indicated only weak heat emissions. But a new study indicates that Uranus does, in fact, have an internal heat source contribu…