NASA is very interested in the last planets of our solar system and would consider relaunching a new mission to attack Neptune and Uranus. A shooting window would be possible between 2028 and 2030 with an arrival in the zone of Uranus around 2043. On the strength of this renewed interest, teams of astronomers are once once more looking at the first-hand data that Voyager 2 had given us sent.
Result: they discovered a population of energetic particles. “What was interesting is that these particles were extremely confined near the magnetic equator of Uranus“, explains Ian Cohen. By eliminating the various possibilities, the team is left with only one explanation: the particles most likely came from a nearby moon, projecting a steam plume similar to that seen on Enceladus.
And to top it all, “Voyager 2 images of the two moons show physical signs of geological resurfacing, including possible eruptions of water that froze on the surface“. However, “we can always do more complete modeling, but until we have new data, the conclusion will always be limited“, conclut Ian Cohen.
