Study Says Uranus and Neptune Have Rocky Outer Shells, Challenging Ice-Giant Label
Updated
Updated · Space.com · May 12
Study Says Uranus and Neptune Have Rocky Outer Shells, Challenging Ice-Giant Label
4 articles · Updated · Space.com · May 12
A May 5 study in Astronomy & Astrophysics found Uranus and Neptune may have outer shells made mostly of rock, plus hydrogen and helium, rather than being dominated by ice.
Modeling by Yamila Miguel's team showed temperatures and pressures in the planets' envelopes could make silicate clouds condense into rocky material, leaving their atmospheres rockier than long assumed.
The work was prompted by recent findings that trans-Neptunian bodies—including Pluto, comets and Kuiper belt objects—may also be more rocky than icy.
The researchers say the result could justify revisiting the two planets' "ice giant" classification, though the paper stops short of proposing a definitive new label.
With their 'ice giant' status debunked, what exotic materials might a future probe find deep inside these mysterious planets?
If our solar system's 'ice giants' are secretly rocky, does this rewrite the entire history of how our planets formed?
Uranus and Neptune may be mislabeled rock worlds. What other fundamental truths about our solar system have we gotten wrong?