Uranus, the penultimate planet in our Solar System, has always been a mysterious world. Unlike most planets, which spin more or less upright, Uranus rotates on its side, with an axial tilt of about 98 degrees. This unusual orientation gives it a tumbling motion as it orbits the Sun. Its magnetic field is equally puzzling: while Earth’s magnetic field is roughly aligned with its rotational axis, Uranus’s magnetic field is tilted nearly 60 degrees. This makes its magnetosphere extremely complex, leading to auroral patterns that are difficult to predict and study. Thanks to groundbreaking observations by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) , a team led by Paola Tiranti , a researcher originally from Padua and now at Northumbria University , has created the first three-dimensional map of Uranus’s upper atmosphere. This map provides an unprecedented view of how energy flows through the planet’s atmosphere and how its asymmetric magnetic field influences auroras. A Unique Observation The o...