Home
Science
Science News
Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock Dominated Planets, Study Suggests

Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock-Dominated Planets, Study Suggests

New simulations suggest Uranus and Neptune may contain far more rock than ice, offering fresh explanations for their unusual magnetic fields.

Written by Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 13 December 2025 17:00 IST

Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock-Dominated Planets, Study Suggests

Photo Credit: Keck Institute for Space Studies / Chuck Carter

New simulations suggest Uranus and Neptune are rockier than believed

Click Here to Add Gadgets360 As A Trusted Source

Highlights

New models suggest Uranus and Neptune could be rock-dominated
Findings challenge decades-old ice giant assumptions
Interior structure may explain strange magnetic fields

Uranus and Neptune have long been known by scientists as ice giants because of the presumption that their interiors were rich in water. Nonetheless, recent studies by the University of Zurich find another key to this decades-old assumption. In a breakthrough study in Astronomy and Astrophysics, it has been found that these outer-world planets are possibly exceedingly rockier than we had imagined before, which has fundamentally redefined the outer solar system.

Rethinking Planetary Composition

According to the study, using an innovative simulation approach that blends physical models with observational data, researchers developed unbiased interior models for both planets. Their findings suggest that Uranus and Neptune could be dominated by rock rather than water, or contain any combination in between.

"The ice giant classification is oversimplified as Uranus and Neptune are still poorly understood," explains Luca Morf, the study's lead author. The research challenges the long-standing assumption that these planets must be ice-rich, opening new possibilities for understanding their true nature.

Uranus and Neptune May Be Rocky Worlds Not Ice Giants, New Research Shows

Solving Magnetic Field Mysteries

The paper also explains the mysterious magnetic fields of the planets. Neptune and Uranus have multi-directional magnetic poles, unlike the Earth, which is simply north-south polarised. Scientists have found that the presence of the layers of ionic water found in the planets creates these non-dipolar magnetic structures, with the field of Uranus forming beneath that of Neptune.

Although such progress was made, researchers insist that specific spacecraft are necessary to establish with a high degree of certainty whether these planets are really ice or rock giants.

Comments

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.