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last mo.

Uranus Stellar Occultation Reveals New Atmospheric and Orbital Insights

An international team of astronomers used a rare planetary alignment to study Uranus’s stratosphere, rings, and precise orbit, advancing planetary science and future mission planning.

A Webb image of Uranus, its rings, and 9 of its 27 moons. Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI
Rare Alignment Gives NASA A Chance To Peer Into Uranus
Image

Overview

  • On April 7, 2025, Uranus passed in front of a distant star, allowing scientists to measure its stratospheric temperature, density, and pressure at multiple altitudes using light curve data.
  • The event marked the first large-scale collaborative occultation campaign for Uranus, involving over 30 astronomers across 18 observatories in Western North America.
  • The campaign refined Uranus’s orbital position by 125 miles, crucial for future exploration and mission planning, given its current positional uncertainty of about 100 miles.
  • Data collected also provided insights into Uranus’s ring system and atmospheric turbulence, including the puzzling heat of its upper layers despite its distance from the Sun.
  • Researchers are now analyzing results and planning future occultations, with a brighter star event in 2031 expected to enable airborne or space-based observations.