Tag Archive for 'Ice giant'

A cutaway depicts the interior of Neptune (left). In the new experiment, Kraus et al studied a plastic simulating compounds formed from methane -- a molecule with just one carbon bound to four hydrogen atoms that causes the distinct blue cast of Neptune; methane forms hydrocarbon (hydrogen and carbon) chains that respond to high pressure and temperature to form ‘diamond rain’ in the interiors of ice giants like Neptune; the authors were able to recreate similar conditions using high-powered optical lasers and watch the small diamonds form in real time with X-rays. Image credit: Greg Stewart, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

It Rains Diamonds on ‘Ice Giant’ Planets

Aug 21, 2017 by News Staff

A new experiment at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory reveals how large diamonds may be formed from just hydrogen and carbon in the deep interior of...

Artist’s impression of an extrasolar ‘ice giant.’

New Study Sheds Light on Chemical Make-Up of Ice Giants

Aug 11, 2017 by News Staff

An international team of planetary researchers from the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Jilin University, China, has used computer simulations to attempt...

Georgia Tech researchers propose that a ‘switch-like’ magnetosphere exists at Uranus in both equinox and solstice seasons, where the planetary rotation drives the interchange between an open magnetosphere and a closed magnetosphere each Uranus day. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

Uranus Has ‘Switch-Like’ Magnetosphere

Jun 27, 2017 by News Staff

A new study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics suggests that the magnetosphere of the ice giant Uranus gets flipped on and...

Left: arriving at Uranus in 1986, Voyager 2 observed a bluish orb with subtle features; a haze layer hid most of the planet’s cloud features from view. Right: this image of Neptune was produced from Voyager 2 and shows the Great Dark Spot and its companion bright smudge. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

NASA Researchers Complete Study of Potential Future Mission to Uranus and Neptune Systems

Jun 21, 2017 by News Staff

A study of the potential future mission to ‘ice giant’ planets Uranus and Neptune and their moons has been released — the first in a series of...

Simulated structure of Planet Nine. Image credit: Esther Linder / Christoph Mordasini.

Planet Nine: Ice Giant Roughly Four Times Bigger than Earth?

Apr 8, 2016 by News Staff

A duo of scientists at the University of Bern has estimated that the suspected Planet Nine is a smaller version of Uranus and Neptune with a surface temperature...

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