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Recently released pictures provide a glimpse into the appearance of Neptune and Uranus, the farthest planets in our solar system.
Neptune is often associated with a vibrant blue hue, while Uranus is typically seen as having a green tint.
However, a recent research has uncovered that the two gas giants have a more similar color than previously believed.
Professor Patrick Irwin and his team from the University of Oxford discovered that the two planets share a similar greenish-blue hue.
Experts suggest the idea that both planets were different colours arose because images of them captured in the 20th century – including by Nasa’s Voyager 2 mission, the only spacecraft to fly past these worlds – recorded images in separate colours.
The images that were originally in one color were later combined to make composite images with multiple colors. However, the balance of colors in these composite images was not always precise, resulting in some images not accurately representing true colors.
In the instance of Neptune, these combinations were frequently overly blue in appearance.
According to scientists, the initial photographs of Neptune taken by Voyager 2 were heavily modified to enhance contrast, allowing for a clearer view of the planet’s clouds, bands, and winds that contribute to its appearance.
Professor Irwin explained that while the images of Uranus taken by Voyager 2 were displayed in a more accurate color scheme, the images of Neptune were artificially exaggerated and appeared bluer than they actually are.
Using our model on the initial dataset, we have successfully reconstructed the most precise depiction to date of the color of Neptune and Uranus.
Despite the fact that planetary scientists were aware of the artificially-enhanced color at the time, and the images were accompanied by captions explaining it, this distinction has since been forgotten.
He stated: “By using our model on the initial data, we have successfully recreated the most precise depiction to date of the color of Neptune and Uranus.”
The researchers utilized information from the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) on the Very Large Telescope at the European Southern Observatory in their recent study.
Both instruments have pixels that capture a range of colors, allowing for the processing of observations to accurately determine the visible colors of Uranus and Neptune.
The data was utilized by the researchers to adjust the composite color images captured by both the Voyager 2 camera and the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
The discovery was made that the color of Uranus and Neptune is a similar greenish blue hue.
For decades, we have struggled to understand the true color of Neptune and the surprising color shifts seen on Uranus. These mysteries have caused confusion and misunderstanding.
Nonetheless, the research discovered that Neptune displays a small indication of an extra blue hue attributed to a narrower layer of haze on its surface, as indicated by the model.
The research also offers an explanation for the longstanding puzzlement regarding the slight color variations observed on Uranus over its 84-year rotation around the sun.
As per the results, this is due to the density of specific gases near the northern and southern poles of the planet, and their appearance when these poles are in close proximity to the sun.
According to Professor Irwin, this is the initial research to correlate numerical modeling with imaging data in order to elucidate the reason behind the variation in Uranus’ color during its orbit.
“We have shown that Uranus appears greener during its solstice because the polar regions have lower levels of methane and a higher amount of highly reflective methane ice particles.”
Heidi Hammel, a researcher at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), has dedicated many years to studying Neptune and Uranus. Although she was not part of the recent study, she shared her thoughts on the topic, stating that the misconception of Neptune’s color and the peculiar color fluctuations of Uranus have been a challenge for scientists for many years.
“This thorough examination should ultimately resolve both matters.”
The results have been released in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Source: independent.co.uk
