[astro-ph.EP] The Uranian moons Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon are enriched in CO2 mixed with CO, but the origin(s) of these carbon oxides, be they primarily native or radiolytic, remains […]
Uranus
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ice Giants Revisited: Uranus And Neptune As Magma Ocean Worlds
Uranus and Neptune are commonly interpreted as volatile-rich “ice giants”, an assumption that underpins most interior models.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Ice Giant, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Uranus
Uranus Orbiter and Probe: Mission Challenges and Concept Updates Since the Origins, Worlds, and Life Decadal Survey
Origins, Worlds, and Life: Planetary Science and Astrobiology in the Next Decade identified a Uranus Orbiter and Probe as the highest-priority strategic mission for the decade 2023–2032, as it enables […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus
Reassessing Planetary Composition: Evidence Of Rock-dominated Envelopes In Uranus And Neptune
Although Uranus and Neptune are commonly classified as ice giants, their exact compositions remain poorly constrained. Recent studies of outer Solar System bodies challenge the traditional view that these planets […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Status Report, Titan, Uranus
HiDef Neighbors: Solar System Objects As Exoplanet Analogs I. Gaseous Objects, Planets, Planetary Systems, And Small Bodies
Context. Intermediate-resolution spectral observations are vital tools for characterizing the composition and physical properties of Solar System bodies in detail. At present, the planets and moons of our Solar System […]
Posted inConferences and Meetings, Ice Giant, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus
OPAG Town Hall at AGU Fall Meeting 2025: December 18
The Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) will hold a Town Hall at the AGU meeting in New Orleans, LA. Please join us for a community discussion! The steering committee will […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Ice Giant, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Neptune, Press Release, Uranus
Uranus And Neptune Might Be Rock Giants
The planets in the Solar System are typically divided into three categories based on their composition: the four terrestrial rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), followed by the two […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Missions & Hardware, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus
Ice Giants Pre-Decadal Survey Mission Study Report
The Ice Giants Study was commissioned by NASA to take a fresh look (as of 2017) at science priorities and concepts for missions to the Uranus and Neptune systems in […]
![Reprocessed images of Uranus [L]] and Neptune [R] NASA/JPL-Caltech (Uranus and Neptune); “Modelling the Seasonal Cycle of Uranus’s Colour and Magnitude, and Comparison with Neptune,” by Patrick G. J. Irwin et al., in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 527, No. 4; February 2024 (reprocessed images)](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Different-Inhomogeneous-Evolutionary.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus
Icy or Rocky? Convective Or Stable? New Interior Models Of Uranus and Neptune
We present a new framework for constructing agnostic and yet physical models for planetary interiors and apply it to Uranus and Neptune.
Posted inAriel, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Miranda, Press Release, Uranus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Evidence Of A Past, Deep Ocean On Ariel, A Uranian Moon
Growing evidence suggests that a subsurface ocean lurks beneath the icy surface of Uranus’ moon Ariel, but new research, published in Icarus, characterizes the possible evolution of this ocean, and […]