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Recorded video: YouTube, Bilibili

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Abstract:

Uranus and Neptune are 3-4 times larger than Earth and 15-17 more massive. They have rocky/icy compositions and are covered by extended hydrogen and helium atmospheres that comprise a 15-20% of their masses. The high abundances of volatiles makes the atmospheric dynamics observed at the upper visible clouds very different to what we observe in the upper clouds of the Gas Giants Jupiter and Saturn. Here I will review the main known characteristics of the atmosphere dynamics of Uranus and Neptune and I will show the major incognita. New sources of information will come soon from telescopes such as JWST and the 30-m class ground-based telescopes like ELT, and even large-base interferometry in radio and millimeter wavelengths able to peer down the tens of bars in the atmosphere. Ice Giants are among the most numerous exoplanets discovered so far. In our own solar system, Uranus and Neptune remain as the least explored planets and we lack essential data to understand them related to the atmospheric composition and vertical structure, atmospheric dynamics at high spatial resolution, internal structure and magnetospheres building a very compelling case for space missions to these planets.

About the speaker:

Ricardo Hueso is assistant professor at the University of the Basque Country in Spain. He obtained his Ph.D. in Physics in 2000 studying moist convection in the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn. He later made a post-doc stay at the Observatory of Nice in France (2001-2002) where he worked on protoplanetary disks and planet formation. After his return to the University of the Basque Country, his research interests expanded to now involve dynamical aspects of the atmospheres of solar system planets from Venus to Neptune. Dr. Hueso has participated in several space missions like Venus Express, Mars Express, Mars 2020 or JUICE (ESA’s new mission to the Jupiter System with a launch in 2023) doing multi-disciplanary studies of these atmospheres and also collaborating with missions like Cassini or Juno. He also works with ground-based and space-based observations where he is well-known from his many collaborations with amateur astronomers.

Audience in the world:

(image credit: timeanddate.com)

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