CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Recent investigations have revealed a slight increase in the rotational duration of Uranus. Utilizing the Hubble Space Telescope, scientists have ascertained that the distant planet requires 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds to fully rotate on its axis. This revision extends the previously accepted estimate, derived from NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft in the 1980s, by an additional 28 seconds.
A research team led by French scientists scrutinized a decade’s worth of data regarding the auroras on Uranus. This rigorous examination of its magnetic fields provided a more accurate measurement of the planet’s rotation. Located as the seventh planet from the sun, Uranus follows an elongated orbit that takes approximately 84 Earth years to complete a single journey around the sun.
Lead researcher Laurent Lamy from the Paris Observatory emphasized the importance of the Hubble’s steady observations in achieving these results. According to Lamy, the methodology used could potentially assist in determining rotation characteristics of any celestial body that possesses auroras and a magnetosphere.
The insights derived from these findings were shared in the journal Nature Astronomy, coinciding with the impending 35-year milestone of Hubble’s deployment. The renowned space telescope was launched into orbit by NASA’s shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990.