The Sun [ http://www.seds.org…]'s third largest planet usually looks quite dull. Uranus [ http://www.seds.org…] typically appears as a featureless small spot in a small telescope or a featureless large orb [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in a large telescope. Last August, however, the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] was able to photograph Uranus [ http://oposite.stsc…] in infrared [ http://www.ipac.cal…] light, where the distant planet better shows its unusual clouds, rings, and moons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Recent analysis indicates that clouds seen here in orange appear to circle Uranus [ http://www.hawastso…] at speeds in excess of 500 kilometers per hour. Comparisons to earlier photographs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] show a slight precession shift in the brightest of Uranus' rings [ http://ringside.arc…]. Several of Uranus' numerous small moons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] are visible.
Explanation
The Sun [ http://www.seds.org…]'s third largest planet usually looks quite dull. Uranus [ http://www.seds.org…] typically appears as a featureless small spot in a small telescope or a featureless large orb [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in a large telescope. Last August, however, the Hubble Space Telescope [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] was able to photograph Uranus [ http://oposite.stsc…] in infrared [ http://www.ipac.cal…] light, where the distant planet better shows its unusual clouds, rings, and moons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Recent analysis indicates that clouds seen here in orange appear to circle Uranus [ http://www.hawastso…] at speeds in excess of 500 kilometers per hour. Comparisons to earlier photographs [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] show a slight precession shift in the brightest of Uranus' rings [ http://ringside.arc…]. Several of Uranus' numerous small moons [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] are visible.
