WASHINGTON — NASA reports that astronomers have detected X-rays from Uranus for the first time, using its Chandra X-ray Observatory. <br /><br />Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and has two sets of rings around its equator. <br /><br />The planet is four times the diameter of Earth and rotates on its side, making it different from all other planets in the solar system. <br /><br />This distant and cold planet is made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. <br /><br />So, what could cause Uranus to emit X-rays? The answer is, mainly the Sun. <br /><br />Astronomers have observed that both Jupiter and Saturn scatter X-ray light given off by the Sun, similar to how Earth's atmosphere scatters the Sun's light. <br /><br />One other possibility is that the rings of Uranus are producing X-rays themselves, which is the case for Saturn's rings. <br /><br />Uranus is surrounded by charged particles such as electrons and protons in its nearby space environment. <br /><br />If these energetic particles collide with its rings, that could cause the rings to emit X-ray radiation.
