The Moons of Uranus May Hold the Key to Finding Missing Planets
Jun 6, 2026 5:30 AM
New simulations reveal that the moons of Uranus may retain traces of giant planets.
Photograph: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images
We have an idea of what the solar system's past was like: It was violent and chaotic. However, we are still studying how violent it was. Current models suggest that at some point after their formation, the giant planets went through a phase of such extreme instability that one or even two bodies the size of Uranus or Neptune were ejected into interstellar space. If that scenario occurred, we may find clues in the most unexpected places in the solar system, such as the moons of Jupiter and, especially, those of Uranus.
A recent article published in Icarusanalyzed 122 possible scenarios of such instability to assess how the satellite systems of the "left behind" planets would have reacted. The researchers concluded that it would...
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