View source for Uranus Impactor

{{Hypothetical}}{{Infobox/Celestial_Body|image1=The planet that crashed into Uranus.jpg|caption-image1=An artist's depiction of the planet. A planet is approaching Uranus|dimensions=~25,512.6 Km|discovered_by=Nobody (Hypothesized)|discovery_data=Hypothesized on late 20th to early 21st Century|axial_tilt_degrees=~23.4°|mass=~2 to 3 Earth Masses<ref>[https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.13663 arXiv]</ref>|semi-major_axis=~19.19 AU (assumingly)|orbital_period_(sidereal)=~84.02 Years (assumingly)|average_orbital_speed=|mean_radius=~12,756.3 Km|circumference_(meridional)=~80,150.2 Km|surface_area_(total)=~511,209,977 Km²|title=Uranus Impactor}}

The '''Uranus Impactor''' was a [[Hypothetical Planets|hypothetical planet]] that was hypothesized to have collided with [[Uranus]] around 3 to 4 billion years ago, causing it to have a 98° tilt and eventually form its rings and natural satellites. It was hypothesized to be roughly 2 times the size of [[Earth]].<ref>[https://apnews.com/article/d1e2c440af57450ab82b62d035adac61 APNews]</ref> This makes it a "Super-Earth", a type of planet with a mass higher than Earth, but less than the [[Ice Giants]].<Ref>[https://science.nasa.gov/exoplanets/super-earth/ NASA]</ref>

== Collision==
The planet is likely to have been a large [[Uranus]] trojan that had an unstable gravitational stability and couldn't cooperate with [[Uranus]]'s gravity, so the two planets collided with each other.

This knocked [[Uranus]] out of its stable rotation and tilted it into rotating on its side. The debris leftover from the collision clumped together into a thin ring system, and also [[Uranus]]'s 27 natural satellites.<ref>[https://arxiv.org/abs/2105.13663 arXiv]</ref> No traces of the planet is found nowadays, only in [[Uranus]]'s rings and moons.

== Formation==
It is likely that the planet formed out of the same mixture as [[Uranus]] and [[Neptune]], but couldn't develop a gaseous envelope likely due to the other Jovian planets attracting most of the gas.

It is unknown what compounds and materials it was composed of, but it is likely that it was formed out of the same materials as what the other ice giants' cores are made of. It is theorized that the planet was composed of silicate iron and nickel, with multiple layers of ice and a few traces of water and normal rock. 

Because of its abundance of water, if it was located somewhere between [[Earth]] and [[Mars]], most of its ice could've melted and developed a global ocean with liquid water, making it habitable.

== Second Theory ==
In 2022 a second theory was proposed in which it is believed a giant ancient moon may have gravitational interacted with [[Uranus]] to tilt it on it's side, this moon then may have crashed into the [[planet]] and the remaining debris may have formed [[Moons of Uranus|Uranus' moons]], this theory also proposes that the Impactor may have been captured by [[Uranus]] within it's first billions of years and is this ancient moon.<ref>https://www.astronomy.com/science/astronomers-have-a-new-theory-for-why-uranus-spins-on-its-side/</ref><ref>https://time.com/6220649/why-uranus-has-a-tilted-orbit/</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Ancient super earth.png|Artistic rendering by PH0805 1.
</gallery>
==References==
<references />
{{Hypothetical Bodies}}
[[Category:Hypothetical Bodies]]
[[Category:Hypothetical Planets]]
[[Category:Hypothetical Bodies Maintaining Hydrostatic Equilibrium]]
[[Category:Destroyed Planets]]