Mushballs inside Uranus and Neptune may solve an atmospheric mystery

Uranus and Neptune appear to have less ammonia than expected, but it might have been hidden by slushy balls of ammonia and water that hail down deep into the planets’ atmospheres

Mushballs inside Uranus and Neptune may solve an atmospheric mystery
Space 17 September 2021

By Leah Crane

View of satellite  Uranus from spac

Uranus whitethorn person clumps of ammonia hiding successful its atmosphere

Buradaki/Alamy

Uranus and Neptune whitethorn beryllium hiding slushy hailstones called mushballs heavy wrong them. These immense clumps of h2o and ammonia whitethorn explicate wherefore determination is truthful small ammonia higher up successful the crystal giants’ atmospheres.

Compared to the different giant planets, Uranus and Neptune look to incorporate amazingly small ammonia – based connected measurements of different compounds, each of the elephantine planets successful our star strategy ought to person astir the aforesaid amount. Either these 2 formed successful immoderate benignant …

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