1. Note that the following lectures include animations and PowerPoint effects such as fly ins and transitions that require you to be in PowerPoint's Slide Show mode (presentation mode).

2. Comparative Planetology of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto Chapter 24

3. In the three previous chapters, we have used our tools of comparative planetology to study other worlds, and we continue that theme in this chapter. A second theme running through this chapter is the nature of astronomical discovery. Unlike the other planets in our solar system, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were discovered, and the story of their discovery helps us understand how science progresses. As we probe the outer fringes of our planetary system in this chapter, we see strong evidence of smaller bodies that fall through the solar system and impact planets and satellites. The next chapter will allow us to study these small bodies in detail and will give us new evidence that our solar system formed from a solar nebula. Guidepost

4. I. Uranus A. The Discovery of Uranus B. The Motion of Uranus C. The Atmosphere of Uranus D. The Interior of Uranus E. The Rings of Uranus F. The Moons of Uranus G. A History of Uranus II. Neptune A. The Discovery of Neptune B. The Atmosphere and Interior of Neptune C. The Rings of Neptune D. The Moons of Neptune E. The History of Neptune Outline

5. III. Pluto A. The Discovery of Pluto B. Pluto as a World C. Pluto and the Plutinos Outline (continued)

6. Uranus Chance discovery by William Herschel in 1781, while scanning the sky for nearby objects with measurable parallax: discovered Uranus as slightly extended object, ~ 3.7 arc seconds in diameter.

7. The Motion of Uranus Very unusual orientation of rotation axis: Almost in the orbital plane. Large portions of the planet exposed to “eternal” sunlight for many years, then complete darkness for many years! Possibly result of impact of a large planetesimal during the phase of planet formation. 19.18 AU 97.9 o

8. The Atmosphere of Uranus Like other gas giants: No surface. Gradual transition from gas phase to fluid interior. Mostly H; 15 % He, a few % Methane, ammonia and water vapor. Optical view from Earth: Blue color due to methane, absorbing longer wavelengths Cloud structures only visible after artificial computer enhancement of optical images taken from Voyager spacecraft.

9. The Structure of Uranus’ Atmosphere Only one layer of Methane clouds (in contrast to 3 cloud layers on Jupiter and Saturn). 3 cloud layers in Jupiter and Saturn form at relatively high temperatures that occur only very deep in Uranus’ atmosphere. Uranus’ cloud layer difficult to see because of thick atmosphere above it. Also shows belt-zone structure  Belt-zone cloud structure must be dominated by planet’s rotation, not by incidence angle of sun light!

10. Cloud Structure of Uranus Keck Telescope images of Uranus show clear variability of the cloud structures  Possibly due to seasonal changes of the cloud structures.

11. The Interior of Uranus Average density ≈ 1.29 g/cm 3  larger portion of rock and ice than Jupiter and Saturn. Ices of water, methane, and ammonia, mixed with hydrogen and silicates

12. The Magnetic Field of Uranus No metallic core  no magnetic field was expected. But actually, magnetic field of ~ 75 % of Earth’s magnetic field strength was discovered: Offset from center: ~ 30 % of planet’s radius! Inclined by ~ 60 o against axis of rotation. Possibly due to dynamo in liquid-water/ammonia/methane solution in Uranus’ interior. Magnetosphere with weak radiation belts; allows determination of rotation period: 17.24 hr.

13. The Magnetosphere of Uranus Rapid rotation and large inclination deform magnetosphere into a corkscrew shape. During Voyager 2 flyby: Southpole pointed towards sun; direct interaction of solar wind with magnetosphere  Bright aurorae! UV images

14. The Rings of Uranus Rings of Uranus and Neptune are similar to Jupiter’s rings. Confined by shepherd moons; consist of dark material. Rings of Uranus were discovered through occultations of a background star

15. The Rings of Neptune Made of dark material, visible in forward- scattered light. Focused by small shepherd moons embedded in the ring structure. Ring material must be regularly re- supplied by dust from meteorite impacts on the moons. Interrupted between denser segments (arcs)

16. The Moons of Uranus 5 largest moons visible from Earth. 10 more discovered by Voyager 2; more are still being found. Dark surfaces, probably ice darkened by dust from meteorite impacts. 5 largest moons all tidally locked to Uranus.

17. Interiors of Uranus’s Moons Large rock cores surrounded by icy mantles.

18. The Surfaces of Uranus’s Moons (1) Oberon Old, inactive, cratered surface, Titania but probably active past. Long fault across the surface. Dirty water may have flooded floors of some craters. Largest moon Heavily cratered surface, but no very large craters. Active phase with internal melting might have flooded craters.

19. The Surfaces of Uranus’s Moons (2) Umbriel Dark, cratered surface Ariel No faults or other signs of surface activity Brightest surface of 5 largest moons Clear signs of geological activity Crossed by faults over 10 km deep Possibly heated by tidal interactions with Miranda and Umbriel.

20. Uranus’s Moon Miranda Most unusual of the 5 moons detected from Earth Ovoids: Oval groove patterns, probably associated with convection currents in the mantle, but not with impacts. 20 km high cliff near the equator Surface features are old; Miranda is no longer geologically active.

21. Neptune Discovered in 1846 at position predicted from gravitational disturbances on Uranus’s orbit by J. C. Adams and U. J. Leverrier. Blue-green color from methane in the atmosphere 4 times Earth’s diameter; 4 % smaller than Uranus

22. The Atmosphere of Neptune Cloud-belt structure with high-velocity winds; origin not well understood. Darker cyclonic disturbances, similar to Great Red Spot on Jupiter, but not long-lived. The “Great Dark Spot” White cloud features of methane ice crystals

23. The Moons of Neptune Two moons (Triton and Nereid) visible from Earth; 6 more discovered by Voyager 2 Unusual orbits: Triton: Only satellite in the solar system orbiting clockwise, i.e. “backward”. Nereid: Highly eccentric orbit; very long orbital period (359.4 d).

24. The Surface of Triton  Triton can hold a tenuous atmosphere of nitrogen and some methane; 10 5 times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere. Very low temperature (34.5 K) Surface composed of ices: nitrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide. Possibly cyclic nitrogen ice deposition and re- vaporizing on Triton’s south pole, similar to CO 2 ice polar cap cycles on Mars. Dark smudges on the nitrogen ice surface, probably due to methane rising from below surface, forming carbon-rich deposits when exposed to sun light.

25. The Surface of Triton (2) Ongoing surface activity: Surface features probably not more than 100 million years old. Large basins might have been flooded multiple times by liquids from the interior. Ice equivalent of greenhouse effect may be one of the heat sources for Triton’s geological activity.

26. Pluto Discovered 1930 by C. Tombaugh. Existence predicted from orbital disturbances of Neptune, but Pluto is actually too small to cause those disturbances.

27. Pluto as a Planet Virtually no surface features visible from Earth. ~ 65 % of size of Earth’s Moon. Highly elliptical orbit; coming occasionally closer to the sun than Neptune. Orbit highly inclined (17 o ) against other planets’ orbits  Neptune and Pluto will never collide. Surface covered with nitrogen ice; traces of frozen methane and carbon monoxide. Daytime temperature (50 K) enough to vaporize some N and CO to form a very tenuous atmosphere.

28. Pluto’s Moon Charon Hubble Space Telescope image Discovered in 1978; about half the size and 1/12 the mass of Pluto itself. Tidally locked to Pluto.

29. Pluto and Charon Orbit highly inclined against orbital plane. From separation and orbital period: M pluto ~ 0.2 Earth masses. Density ≈ 2 g/cm 3 (both Pluto and Charon)  ~ 35 % ice and 65 % rock. Large orbital inclinations  Large seasonal changes on Pluto and Charon.

30. The Origin of Pluto and Charon Probably very different history than neighboring Jovian planets. Older theory: Modern theory: Pluto and Charon members of Kuiper belt of small, icy objects (see Chapter 25), caught in orbital resonances with Neptune (“Plutinos”). Collision between Pluto and Charon may have caused the peculiar orbital patterns and large inclination of Pluto’s rotation axis. Mostly abandoned today since such interactions are unlikely. Pluto and Charon formed as moons of Neptune, ejected by interaction with massive planetesimal.