Why Uranus Rolls Instead of Spinning Like Normal Planets

Bright Side

Uranus is the oddball of the solar system because instead of spinning like a top, it rolls on its side as it orbits the Sun! 🔵✨ Scientists think this happened billions of years ago when a massive object—maybe even a planet—smashed into Uranus and knocked it over. Instead of having a regular day and night cycle, each pole spends 42 years in sunlight and then 42 years in darkness! This weird tilt also gives Uranus some of the strangest seasons of any planet. Plus, its rings and moons are also tilted, moving around it like a wonky hula hoop.   Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music by Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me

Transcript

00:00Uranus is an enigmatic giant that has puzzled astronomers for centuries.

00:05But what sets this gas giant apart from the others is its strange tilt.

00:10While most planets spin on an axis that is perpendicular to their orbit,

00:14Uranus takes a wild spin in a different direction.

00:17But why does it look like this?

00:20How did the planet turn out to be lying on its side?

00:23And what would we see if we visited the surface of such a planet?

00:27Let's find out.

00:29Uranus, the seventh planet from the Sun, is a cosmic oddball and source of many jokes.

00:36It's one of the gas giants in our solar system, along with Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune.

00:42It's also the third largest planet in our solar system, with a diameter of about 31,000 miles.

00:50And one of its many oddities is a weird rotation on its side.

00:55Not all planets in our solar system are aligned in a straight line.

00:59While most planets in our solar system have an axial tilt of less than 30 degrees,

01:04Uranus is tilted at an angle of almost 98 degrees.

01:08It's like that one friend who always has to be different,

01:12even if it means standing on their head to prove a point.

01:16So its north and south poles are facing east and west.

01:21It's like the planet got lazy and just rolled over one day, deciding to take a nap.

01:28And why is Uranus so tilted, you ask?

01:31Scientists once thought this was due to some kind of collision.

01:35They thought that something gigantic crashed into Uranus,

01:39something like what happened to our Earth.

01:41A dwarf planet crashed into it, the Earth tilted slightly,

01:45and the Moon was born from the remnants of the collision.

01:49But this theory had a problem.

01:52In the early universe, there were a bunch of asteroids, dwarf planets, and other large objects.

01:58And if this is so, then why is only Uranus tilted?

02:02All sorts of guys crashed into other planets too, but they don't have such features.

02:08But recently, scientists have published a new study.

02:12And now scientists think that the culprit might be a long-lost moon that wandered away.

02:20Back in the days of the early solar system,

02:22the giant planets partied much closer together and way closer to the Sun.

02:27But as we all know, parties can get out of hand.

02:31Something caused Uranus and Neptune to migrate the farthest,

02:34like they were trying to get away from the Sun's strict supervision.

02:40Each giant planet had a collection of moons,

02:43but they were constantly getting shuffled around during all this migration madness.

02:48Some planets lost moons, while others gained new ones.

02:52Uranus could have been born with a massive moon, or quickly captured one.

02:57And if that moon was big enough, it could have started playing games with Uranus's spin.

03:04This moon pulled on Uranus with its gravity, making the wobbling even worse.

03:09As time went on, it made Uranus tilt more and more.

03:13Eventually, it crashed into the planet, locking it into its current tilt.

03:20While the theory is pretty sound, based on computer models,

03:24we'll have to wait until at least 2030.

03:27That's when China plans to launch the Tianwen-4 spacecraft

03:31to take a closer look at Uranus and study it more.

03:34Who knows what other crazy space secrets we'll uncover next.

03:38Until then, we can all have a good laugh about the lazy,

03:42rebel planet that just can't seem to stand up straight.

03:47Such a funny and unique feature makes you wonder,

03:51what exactly would we see if we were standing on this planet?

03:54How would its strange tilt affect the view from its surface?

03:59Let's see. If you were standing on the surface of Uranus,

04:04although it doesn't really have a surface, it's more like a gas atmosphere,

04:08you'd enjoy a cool view.

04:10You'd see the sun rise in the east, just like on Earth,

04:13but then it would keep going around the sky in a tilted path, like a lazy spiral.

04:21About the sunset though, I hope you have some patience,

04:24because it would take 42 years for the sun to complete one full circle around Uranus' sky.

04:31That's a really long time to wait before finally going to bed.

04:36But speaking of the sky, it would be a beautiful sight to behold.

04:40Uranus is known for its stunning unique blue-green color.

04:44It's caused by the methane gas in its atmosphere.

04:47Methane absorbs red light, giving Uranus its cold hue.

04:54You'd also see some amazing clouds and storms swirling around the planet.

04:58But if you're looking for constellations, you're out of luck.

05:02The extreme tilt of Uranus means that its poles face towards the sun,

05:07so the stars would be all over the place in the sky.

05:10The constellations that are familiar to us would be unrecognizable from Uranus.

05:15Also, as the planet rotates, the position of the stars would change very often.

05:21Huh, for you sailors out there, good luck in navigation.

05:27But you could see its beautiful moons.

05:30Uranus has 27 known moons, with the largest being Titania,

05:35followed by Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel, and Miranda.

05:39These moons are thought to have formed from the same material that formed Uranus.

05:43And yes, the tilt affects them too.

05:46They orbit around the planet perpendicular to the planet's motion around the sun.

05:53And they aren't the only ones.

05:55Did you know that Uranus also has rings?

05:58Yeah, not only Saturn is so special.

06:01The rings are made up of ice particles, some as small as grains of sand,

06:06and others as large as several feet across.

06:09They're thin, narrow, and dark compared to Saturn, for example.

06:13They're actually so black that they almost don't reflect the light.

06:18That's why it's so difficult to see them from Earth.

06:21But if you were near the surface of Uranus, you might be able to see them in the sky.

06:28The only question is, would you even be able to focus on all these views?

06:32Because Uranus is extremely cold.

06:36And that will probably be the only thing you'd think about.

06:40We're talking about temperatures that can drop down to negative 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

06:46Brr, better pack some warm clothes for this trip.

06:50This is because it's so far from the sun,

06:52and its atmosphere is composed mainly of hydrogen and helium.

06:57And not only is Uranus the coldest planet in our solar system,

07:01but the winters there are long.

07:04Due to the extreme tilt, it has seasons that last for over 20 years.

07:09It's like the planet is stuck in a perpetual state of winter,

07:12which is both cool, pun intended, and kind of sad at the same time.

07:19And if that's not cold enough, Uranus is also known for its strong winds.

07:24In fact, they can blow up to 360 miles per hour.

07:28So you might want to hold on tight to something,

07:31or wear a windproof suit to avoid being blown away like a leaf.

07:37And finally, Uranus's magnetic field is also tilted at an angle of 59 degrees from the planet's axis of rotation.

07:46This creates some interesting effects.

07:50The most obvious one is beautiful auroras,

07:53which are similar to the northern and southern lights on Earth.

07:57On Uranus, however, the auroras are located near the planet's equator rather than at the poles.

08:03Isn't that cool?

08:04The result is a dazzling light show that would make even the most jaded space traveler stop and stare in wonder.

08:13But even though it sounds pretty awesome,

08:15it makes it more difficult for spacecraft to navigate around Uranus.

08:19The magnetic field creates a lopsided gravitational pull that can affect the trajectory of spacecraft.

08:26This makes exploring Uranus a bit more challenging, but maybe it will change in the future.

08:33All in all, standing on Uranus would be a chilly, wobbly, and breathtaking experience,

08:39and definitely not your average stroll in the park.

08:42Next time you look up at the night sky, think of this beautiful icy planet,

08:47and remember that even in the vast expanse of space,

08:50there is always something new and exciting to discover.

08:57That's it for today.

08:58So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.

09:03Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side.

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