Cheeky!

A study has finally determined where Uranus gets its heat.

A team of researchers from the University of Houston, headed by Dr. Xinyue Wang, conducted an in-depth analysis of data from Uranus. Their findings, published in Geophysical Research Letters, reveal that the giant planet generates its own internal heat.

“Scientifically, this study advances our comprehension of Uranus and other massive planets,” stated Wang, who is part of UH’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, in an official release.

The notion of warmth found on the sun’s seventh planet, which maintains a surface temperature of -320 degrees Fahrenheit, has long puzzled scientists. This confusion dates back to a NASA study of Voyager 2 data in 1986, which suggested Uranus lacked internal warmth, contradicting the fundamental scientific theories of planetary formation and evolution.

But the new study found that in fact Uranus generates 12.5% more heat internally than it receives from the sun, which is 1.8 billion miles away.

“This means it’s still slowly losing leftover heat from its early history, a key piece of the puzzle that helps us understand its origins and how it has changed over time,” Wang said.

Uranus is still behind planets such as Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune in terms of how much heat it emits.

Those planets emit 100% more heat than they get from the sun.

The amount of heat emanating from Uranus varies by season — but those seasons can take more than 20 years, according to scientists.

These long seasons could be the reason for the Voyager 2 readings in 1986, which may have been skewed by a surge in solar weather during the flyby, according to Space.com.

Uranus may meanwhile soon have a moon that could house alien life, researchers have said.

The planet’s moon, Miranda, has sources of water hidden beneath its surface that could play a role in the expansion of humans through the solar system, according to a study from Johns Hopkins and the University of North Dakota.