An icy aurora found on Uranus could be a sign that aliens exist on the planet, according to scientists.
University of Leicester researchers believe this may be proof that the remote planet — far removed from the sun’s rays in our solar system — can support life, though certainly not the carbon-based life that one would find on planet Earth.
The scientist said: “This paper is the culmination of 30 years of auroral study at Uranus, which has finally revealed the infrared aurora and begun a new age of aurora investigations at the planet.
“Our results will go on to broaden our knowledge of ice giant auroras and strengthen our understanding of planetary magnetic fields in our solar system, at exoplanets and even our own planet.”
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Prior to this study, not much thought had been given to life on the more remote planets in our solar system.
In fact, it was widely believed — and accepted — that the further a planet was from the sun, the less likely it was to support life.
What’s more, it was long believed that Uranus was so remote that it wouldn’t support life to begin with.
Now, however, this study challenges those long-held beliefs.
But the ability for Uranus to sustain life isn’t the only thing uncovered by the University of Leicester study.
Geomagnetic reversal, which happens when the North and South Poles switch polarity on Earth, can also have some new insight thanks to the Uranian discoveries.
“We don’t have many studies on this phenomena and hence do not know what effects this will have on systems that rely on Earth’s magnetic field such as satellites, communications and navigation,” one scientist said.
“However, this process occurs every day at Uranus due to the unique misalignment of the rotational and magnetic axes. Continued study of Uranus’s aurora will provide data on what we can expect when Earth exhibits a future pole reversal and what that will mean for its magnetic field.”
