Scientists have made a new discovery about the planet Uranus, finding that its day is 28 seconds longer than previously thought. The Hubble Space Telescope observed the planet’s auroras to track its magnetic poles and determine its rotation period.
The new estimate, 17 hours, 14 minutes, and 52 seconds, was found by a French-led team studying a decade’s worth of aurora observations at the ice giant. This discovery can help pinpoint the rotation of any world with auroras and a magnetosphere.