How’s the temperature on Uranus? Cold. In fact, the temperature of Uranus
makes it the coldest planet in the Solar System. The average temperature of the
cloud tops on Uranus is 49 K (?224 °C)
Why is Uranus so cold? The big problem is that Uranus isn’t generating any
heat. The other giant planets in the Solar System actually give off
more heat than they receive from the Sun. This is because they’re slowly
compacting down, and this generates high temperatures inside their cores.
Uranus has a core of only 5,000 K, while Jupiter’s core is 30,000 K. If you
removed the Sun, Jupiter would still be visible in infrared telescopes because
of this internal warmth, but Uranus would be very dark.
Astronomers aren’t sure why Uranus has such a low core temperature, but they
think it has something to do with its bizarre rotation. Unlike the rest of the
planets in the Solar System, Uranus is tilted right over onto its side.
Scientists think that Uranus has a massive collision early on in its history,
which knocked it over. This collision might have also allowed the planet to
release much of its internal heat. Others believe that something about Uranus’
internal structure allows it to release this heat more easily than other
planets.
We have written many articles about Uranus here on Universe Today. Here’s an
article about how Uranus can actually get pretty stormy, and
here’s an article about what should be found inside a gas giant.
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/19282/temperature-of-uranus/#ixzz2M6vEwqiZ
makes it the coldest planet in the Solar System. The average temperature of the
cloud tops on Uranus is 49 K (?224 °C)
Why is Uranus so cold? The big problem is that Uranus isn’t generating any
heat. The other giant planets in the Solar System actually give off
more heat than they receive from the Sun. This is because they’re slowly
compacting down, and this generates high temperatures inside their cores.
Uranus has a core of only 5,000 K, while Jupiter’s core is 30,000 K. If you
removed the Sun, Jupiter would still be visible in infrared telescopes because
of this internal warmth, but Uranus would be very dark.
Astronomers aren’t sure why Uranus has such a low core temperature, but they
think it has something to do with its bizarre rotation. Unlike the rest of the
planets in the Solar System, Uranus is tilted right over onto its side.
Scientists think that Uranus has a massive collision early on in its history,
which knocked it over. This collision might have also allowed the planet to
release much of its internal heat. Others believe that something about Uranus’
internal structure allows it to release this heat more easily than other
planets.
We have written many articles about Uranus here on Universe Today. Here’s an
article about how Uranus can actually get pretty stormy, and
here’s an article about what should be found inside a gas giant.
Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/19282/temperature-of-uranus/#ixzz2M6vEwqiZ