Voyager 2's 1986 flyby of Uranus, the main source of our knowledge of the icy planet, could have come at the same time as a weird plasma burst from the sun.

Much of what we understand about Uranus comes from data gathered by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft. Thirty-eight years ago, this probe flew by the ice giant, providing humanity with its first close-up glimpse of the seventh planet from the sun.

NASA's Voyager mission beamed back unprecedented views. It also sent back some mysteries. One of these came in 1986, when the Voyager 2 probe — one of a duo of Voyager craft sent into deep space — journeyed by the ice giant Uranus,