(CNN) Uranus is emitting X-rays, and scientists want to take a closer look. That's the mysterious conclusion of a new study, which analyzed two visuals of the planet and discovered X-ray activity for the first time. Astronomers looked at snapshots of the planet taken by NASA's Chandra Observatory in 2002 and 2017, noticing a clear detection of X-rays in the first observation and a possible flare in the second. The most likely cause for most of those X-rays is the sun; it is already known that both Jupiter and Saturn scatter X-ray light given off by the sun, and the research suggests Uranus does the same. But not all of the activity can be explained, and NASA has called for scientists to look in more detail.

Source: CNN April 01, 2021 14:48 UTC