The last time we got close-up information of those two worlds was 3 years ago, when Voyager 2 whooshed by in its historic mission.Since then, Jupiter and Saturn have actually played host to several orbiting probes, yet our views of Uranus and Neptune have been restricted to telescope observations.To try to understand whats inside those worlds, astronomers and planetary scientists have to take that meager information and integrate it with laboratory experiments that try to reproduce the conditions of those planets interiors. Mathematical modeling helps astronomers understand whats occurring in a given situation based on restricted data.And its through that combination of mathematical modeling and laboratory experiments that we recognized Uranus and Neptune might have so-called diamond rain.Related: Amazing images of beast storm in Saturns atmosphereIts drizzling diamondsThe idea of diamond rain was first proposed prior to the Voyager 2 objective which released in 1977. No, Uranus and Neptune do not include huge amounts of polystyrene, but the plastic was much easier than methane to deal with in the lab and, presumably, behaves extremely similarly.Also, Uranus and Neptune can keep up those pressures for a lot longer than a lab laser, so the diamonds could most likely grow to be a lot larger than nano-sized.
Its through the quick accretion of those aspects that these big planets managed to swell to their present size.In contrast, Uranus and Neptune are made primarily of ammonia, water and methane. The last time we got close-up information of those two worlds was 3 decades earlier, when Voyager 2 zipped by in its historic mission.Since then, Jupiter and Saturn have actually played host to several orbiting probes, yet our views of Uranus and Neptune have actually been restricted to telescope observations.To try to comprehend whats inside those planets, astronomers and planetary scientists have to take that meager data and combine it with laboratory experiments that attempt to duplicate the conditions of those worlds interiors. Mathematical modeling assists astronomers understand whats happening in an offered scenario based on minimal data.And its through that mix of mathematical modeling and laboratory experiments that we realized Uranus and Neptune may have so-called diamond rain.Related: Amazing pictures of beast storm in Saturns atmosphereIts raining diamondsThe concept of diamond rain was very first proposed before the Voyager 2 objective which launched in 1977. The thinking was pretty simple: We understand what Uranus and Neptune are made of, and we know that things gets hotter and denser the much deeper into a planet you go. No, Uranus and Neptune dont consist of huge quantities of polystyrene, but the plastic was much simpler than methane to manage in the laboratory and, presumably, acts really similarly.Also, Uranus and Neptune can keep up those pressures for a lot longer than a laboratory laser, so the diamonds could most likely grow to be a lot larger than nano-sized.