A new study has revealed new truths about the two most distant planets in our solar system, leaving scientists stunned.
New images reveal that Neptune and Uranus are more similar than previously thought.
Initially, Neptune was thought to have a rich blue color and Uranus to be more green.
But a study led by Professor Patrick Irwin of the University of Oxford has found that the two ice giants, the most distant planets in our solar system, have a similar greenish-blue color.
Difference between the two images
oxford university
A misconception that the two planets have different colors because the images were taken in the 20th century. These monochromatic images and images recorded in separate colors were later recombined to create composite color images.
Scientists now say these composite photos, some taken by the Voyager 2 mission, were often too blue, especially for Neptune.
Professor Irwin said: “While the well-known Voyager 2 image of Uranus was released in close to ‘true’ color, the image of Neptune was actually stretched and enhanced, and therefore artificially blue. It has become too much,” he said.
“Although artificially saturated colors were known to planetary scientists at the time and images were published with captions explaining them, the distinction has been lost over time. ”
Latest developments:
Scientists previously thought Neptune was bluer
NASA
The study also provides an answer to the long-standing mystery of why Uranus’s color changes slightly during the Sun’s 84-year orbit.
According to the findings, this is due to how thick certain gases are at the planet’s north and south poles, and how they appear when these poles are closest to the sun.
Dr Heidi Hummel of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy said: “The misperceptions of Neptune’s colors and the unusual color changes of Uranus have puzzled us for decades.
“This comprehensive study should finally settle both questions.”
The researchers used that data to rebalance the composite color images recorded by the Voyager 2 camera.
Professor Irwin added: “This is the first study to match quantitative models with image data to explain why Uranus’s color changes during its orbit.”
“In this way, Uranus at the summer solstice proves to be greener, because not only is the abundance of methane decreasing in the polar regions, but also the thickness of brightly scattering methane ice particles is increasing. I did.”
The discovery was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.