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Credit & Copyright: Lawrence Sromovsky,
(Univ. Wisconsin-Madison),
Keck Observatory
Explanation:
These sharp views
of tilted gas
giant Uranus show dramatic
details of the planet's atmosphere and
ring system.
The remarkable
ground-based
images were made using a
near-infrared camera and the Keck Adaptive Optics
system to reduce the blurring effects
of Earth's atmosphere.
Recorded in July, the pictures show two sides of
Uranus (careful how you
pronounce
that ...).
In both, high, white cloud features are seen mostly in
the northern (right hand) hemisphere, with medium level
cloud bands in green and lower level clouds in blue.
The artificial color scheme lends a deep reddish tint to the
otherwise faint rings.
Because of the severe tilt of its rotational axis,
seasons on Uranus are extreme and
last nearly 21 Earth years on the distant planet.
Uranus is now slowly approaching its southern autumnal
equinox - the beginning of fall in the southern
hemisphere - in 2007.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Uranus - adaptive optics - equinox
Publications with words: Uranus - adaptive optics - equinox
See also:
- APOD: 2025 September 22 Á Equinox at Saturn
- APOD: 2025 September 21 Á Equinox Sunset
- APOD: 2024 September 22 Á Chicagohenge: Equinox in an Aligned City
- Sunrise Shadows in the Sky
- APOD: 2024 March 19 Á A Picturesque Equinox Sunset
- Shakespeare in Space
- APOD: 2023 March 19 Á Equinox at the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent