A recent study has upset our entire concept of Uranus and Neptune, two mysterious planets in our solar system. The results of previous studies supposed that the comets consist of mainly the frozen water, but the new research demonstrates that the methane ice is also present, which is a challenge for the existing models of planetary formation.
Although Voyager 2 mission of NASA in 1980 had indicated the possible existence of the icy nature of such distant planets, the definitive confirmation had to wait until the Voyager 2 mission of NASA in 1980 had indicated the possible existence of icy nature of such distant planets. On the other hand, the current research reveals more intriguing observations where probably the presence of methane ice on these planets was the fundamental contributor to their unique composition.
The research, done by planetary scientist Uri Malamud, implies that during the planets’ formation, those may have had a carbon-rich composition which is usually the case with the comet-like bodies, unlike the water-dominant materials that are suggested in the traditional models. The finding of such planets also raises a question as to how ice giants can be formed from non-ice building blocks.
In order to clarify that puzzle, a team of scientists came up with several internal structure models for Uranus and Neptune, which included methane besides iron and water. The incredible thing is that the models that have methane in solid or semi-liquid phases captured these observed planetary characteristics better than other models.
The existence of methane ice is assumed to have been formed through chemical reactions between hydrogen and carbon which took place as the planets moved through stages of development. The discovery is not only enlightening about the birth of Uranus and Neptune, but it definitely the way towards future missions to verify these interesting results.
The methane ice-based in planetary formation is a novel phenomenon that broadens the scope of our understanding of these distant planets, thus, marking a new milestone in the process of solving the mysteries of our solar system.
