Overview

• Scientists have determined Uranus's precise rotation period as 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds, 28 seconds longer than Voyager 2's initial estimate.
• The breakthrough was achieved through over a decade of ultraviolet aurora observations by the Hubble Space Telescope, beginning in 2011.
• The new measurement resolves inaccuracies in Voyager 2's 1986 data, which had a margin of error that hindered long-term tracking of Uranus's magnetic poles.
• This refined rotation period establishes a robust coordinate system, enabling comparisons of auroral data spanning nearly 40 years.
• The findings pave the way for future missions to Uranus, including potential probes to map its gravitational and magnetic fields.