WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Does Uranus Stink?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Volk bomb here with a classic episode

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<v Speaker 1>from the brain Stuff archives. This one has to do

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<v Speaker 1>with one of the amazing discoveries made in recent years

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<v Speaker 1>about one of our neighboring planets in the Solar System.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vog O bomb here. Urinus stinks

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<v Speaker 1>and I'm not joking. This enigmatic Outer Solar System planet

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<v Speaker 1>has long had a credibility problem, with it being the

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<v Speaker 1>butt of countless immature jokes. Now astronomers have discovered a

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<v Speaker 1>gas in Urinas's clouds that does nothing to curtail this

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<v Speaker 1>humor at all. Thanks science, The newest study published in

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<v Speaker 1>the journal Nature Astronomy has discovered the chemical signature of

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<v Speaker 1>hydrogen sulfide in the planet's clouds, a compound that gives

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<v Speaker 1>rotten eggs their distinctive stench. Besides launching a bevy of

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<v Speaker 1>new puns, this finding could transform or understanding of how

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<v Speaker 1>our Solar System evolved. It may also help us to

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<v Speaker 1>understand the atmospheres of massive planets orbiting other stars. A

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<v Speaker 1>first a bit of background. Uranus has only been visited

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<v Speaker 1>by a spacecraft once, when NASA's voyager to zipped past

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<v Speaker 1>the planet in the fly by produced many beautiful and

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<v Speaker 1>iconic views of this almost featureless, light blue world, and

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<v Speaker 1>astronomers have made countless ground based observations of Uranus in

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<v Speaker 1>hopes of better understanding the composition of its atmosphere. Despite

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<v Speaker 1>these efforts, however, we know little about this far away planet,

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<v Speaker 1>but the discovery of hydrogen sulfide is a big step forward,

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<v Speaker 1>and it could only be done using one of our

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<v Speaker 1>planets most powerful observatories. Using the near infrared integral field

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<v Speaker 1>spectrometer that's attached to the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii,

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<v Speaker 1>astronomers were able to detect the very slight spectroscopic signature

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<v Speaker 1>of hydrogen sulfide in the uppermost layers of uranus is clouds.

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<v Speaker 1>This whiff of hydrogen sulfide is only the tip of

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<v Speaker 1>the ode differous iceberg. However, the presence of this gas

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<v Speaker 1>is indicative of a huge reservoir below the obscuring cloud deck.

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<v Speaker 1>Co investigator Lee Fletcher of the University of Leicester, UK,

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<v Speaker 1>in a Gemini North statement, said only a tiny amount

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<v Speaker 1>of hydrogen sulfide remains above the clouds as saturated vapor,

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<v Speaker 1>and this is why it's so challenging to capture the

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<v Speaker 1>signatures of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide above cloud decks of Uranus.

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<v Speaker 1>The superior capabilities of Gemini finally gave us that lucky break.

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<v Speaker 1>Astronomers have long argued over whether hydrogen sulfide or ammonia

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<v Speaker 1>dominate Uranus's clouds. It's well known that the inner massive

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<v Speaker 1>planets Jupiter and Saturn have atmospheres dominated by ammonia ice,

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<v Speaker 1>whereas Urinus and presumably Neptune do not. It's those very

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<v Speaker 1>differences in atmospheric conditions that place Jupiter and Saturn in

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<v Speaker 1>the gas giant category and Uranus and Neptune in the

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<v Speaker 1>ice giant category, and these differences reveal an insight as

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<v Speaker 1>to where the planets formed. As Fletcher said, during our

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<v Speaker 1>Solar System's formation, the balance between nitrogen and sulfur, and

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<v Speaker 1>hence ammonia and Uranus is newly detected. Hydrogen sulfide was

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<v Speaker 1>determined by the temperature and location of the planet's formation.

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<v Speaker 1>The thought is that early in our Solar System's history,

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<v Speaker 1>the massive planets migrated from where they initially formed, eventually

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<v Speaker 1>setting into stable orbits where we see them today. Through

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<v Speaker 1>the analysis of chemicals in their clouds, Astronomers can now

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<v Speaker 1>formulate theories as to how far away from the Sun

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<v Speaker 1>these giant worlds formed and where they migrated from. With

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<v Speaker 1>this information in mind, astronomers can then look to other

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<v Speaker 1>stars and gain an insight as to how and where

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<v Speaker 1>giant exoplanets formed. This is all very interesting, but a

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<v Speaker 1>big question that scientists are likely answering right now is

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<v Speaker 1>if we could inhale Uranus's atmosphere, would it kill us?

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<v Speaker 1>The smell would certainly be unpleasant, but it's not the

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<v Speaker 1>stench that would kill you. A lead study author Patrick

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<v Speaker 1>Irwin of the University of Oxford, UK explained in the

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<v Speaker 1>press release Suffocation and exposure in the negative two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>degrees Celsie's atmosphere, made mostly of hydrogen, helium and methane,

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<v Speaker 1>would take its toll along before the smell. So we'll

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<v Speaker 1>skip the vacation plans, but still keep an eye on

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<v Speaker 1>this fascinating, if stinky planet. Today's episode is based on

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<v Speaker 1>the article Scientists Confirm Uranus Stinks on how stuff Works

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<v Speaker 1>dot com, written by Ian O'Neill. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radio in partnership with How Stuff Works.

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<v Speaker 1>Dot com and it's produced by Tyler Klang. Four more

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<v Speaker 1>podcasts My heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen into your favorite shows.