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Seen here is a full-scale mo …
Description Seen here is a full-scale model of one of the twin Voyager spacecraft, which was sent to explore the giant outer planets in our solar system. Voyager 2 was launched August 20, 1977 followed by the launch of Voyager 1 sixteen days later. Both spacecraft visited Jupiter and Saturn with Voyager 2 continuing its journey to Uranus and Neptune. In spring 1990, Voyager 2 transmitted images looking back across the span of the entire solar system. Both Voyagers continue to explore interstellar space.
S-1 C & BW -62
Voyager 1 looked back at Sat …
12/4/80
Date 12/4/80
Description Voyager 1 looked back at Saturn on Nov. 16, 1980, four days after the spacecraft flew past the planet, to observe the appearance of Saturn and its rings from this unique perspective. A few of the spokelike ring features discovered by Voyager appear in the rings as bright patches in this image, taken at a distance of 5.3 million kilometers (3.3 million miles) from the planet. Saturn's shadow falls upon the rings, and the bright Saturn crescent is seen through all but the densest portion of the rings. From Saturn, Voyager 1 is on a trajectory taking the spacecraft out of the ecliptic plane, away from the Sun and eventually out of the solar system (by about 1990). Although its mission to Jupiter and Saturn is nearly over (the Saturn encounter ends Dec. 18, 1980), Voyager 1 will be tracked by the Deep Space Network as far as possible in an effort to determine where the influence of the Sun ends and interstellar space begins. Voyager 1's flight path through interstellar space is in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus. Voyager 2 will reach Saturn on August 25, 1981, and is targeted to encounter Uranus in 1986 and possibly Neptune in 1989. The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. #####
Description Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn.
Full Description This 1981 Voyager 2 image shows the vast Saturn ring system, as well as three small icy satellites and the shadow of a fourth. Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System. It has a volume about 760 times that of Earth. Like Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune, it has no solid surface, but is instead an enormous sphere of gas which gradually compresses into fluid at great depths beneath the clouds. Most of the visible markings are formed in a layer of ammonia ice clouds, which form at a pressure level in Saturn's atmosphere that is comparable to sea-level atmospheric pressure on Earth. Above those clouds, Saturn's atmosphere, like those of the Sun and the other three gas giant planets, is composed almost exclusively of hydrogen and helium. By contrast, Saturn's rings and icy satellites appear to be composed primarily of water ice. Image reprocessed by USGS. (P-43538)
Voyager 2 Launch
title Voyager 2 Launch
date 08.20.1977
description Voyager 2 was launched August 20, 1977, sixteen days before Voyager 1 aboard a Titan-Centaur rocket. Their different flight trajectories caused Voyager 2 to arrive at Jupiter four months later than Voyager 1, thus explaining their numbering. The initial mission plan for Voyager 2 specified visits only to Jupiter and Saturn. The plan was augmented in 1981 to include a visit to Uranus, and again in 1985 to include a flyby of Neptune. After completing the tour of the outer planets in 1989, the Voyager spacecraft began exploring interstellar space. The Voyager mission has been managed by NASA's Office of Space Science and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. *Image Credit*: NASA
Charon Discovery Image
title Charon Discovery Image
date 06.22.1978
description On 22 June 1978, an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. was making routine measurements of photographic plates taken with the 1.55-meter (61-inch) Kaj Strand Astrometric Reflector at the USNO Flagstaff Station in Arizona. The purpose of these images was to refine the orbit of the far-flung planet Pluto to help compute a better ephemeris for this distant object. Astronomer James W. Christy had noticed that a number of the images of Pluto appeared elongated, but images of background stars on the same plate did not. Other plates showed the planet as a tiny, round dot. Christy examined a number of Pluto images from the USNO archives, and he noticed the elongations again. Furthermore, the elongations appeared to change position with respect to the stars over time. After eliminating the possibility that the elongations were produced by plate defects and background stars, the only plausible explanation was that they were caused by a previously unknown moon orbiting Pluto at a distance of about 19,600 kilometers (12,100 miles) with a period of just over six days. On 7 July 1978, the discovery was formally announced to the astronomical community and the world by the IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams via IAU Circular 3241. The discovery received the provisional designation "1978 P 1", Christy proposed the name "Charon", after the mythological ferryman who carried souls across the river Acheron, one of the five mythical rivers that surrounded Pluto's underworld. Over the course of the next several years, another USNO astronomer, the late Robert S. Harrington, calculated that Pluto and its newly-found moon would undergo a series of mutual eclipses and occultations, beginning in early 1985. On 17 February 1985 the first successful observation of one of these transits was made at with the 0.9-meter (36-inch) reflector at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, within 40 minutes of Harrington's predicted time. The IAU Circular announcing these confirming observations was issued on 22 February 1985. With this confirmation, the new moon was officially named Charon. Pluto was discovered at Lowell Observatory in 1930 by the late Clyde W. Tombaugh, an amateur astronomer from Kansas who was hired by the Observatory specifically to photograph the sky with a special camera and search for the planet predicted by the Observatory's founder, Percival Lowell. Lowell had deduced the existence of a "Planet X" by studying small anomalies in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune. As it turned out, Pluto's discovery was almost entirely serendipitous, Pluto's tiny mass was far too small to account for the anomalies, which were resolved when Voyager 2 determined more precise masses for Uranus and Neptune. The discovery of Charon has led to a much better understanding of just how tiny Pluto is. Its diameter is about 2274 km (1413 miles), and its mass is 0.25% of the mass of the Earth. Charon has a diameter of about 1172 kilometers (728, miles) and a mass of about 22% that of Pluto. The two worlds circle their common center of mass with a period of 6.387 days and are locked in a "super-synchronous" rotation: observers on Pluto's surface would always see Charon in the same part of the sky relative to their local horizon. Normally Pluto is considered the most distant world in the solar system, but during the period from January 1979 until February 1999 it was actually closer to the Sun than Neptune. It has the most eccentric and inclinced orbit of any of the major planets. This orbit won't bring Pluto back to its discovery position until the year 2178! *Image Credit*: U.S. Naval Observatory
Uranus' innermost satellite …
title Uranus' innermost satellite Miranda
date 01.24.1986
description Miranda, innermost of Uranus' large satellites, is seen at close range in this Voyager 2 image, taken Jan. 24, 1986, as part of a high-resolution mosaicing sequence. Voyager was some 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) away from Miranda. This clear-filter, narrow-angle image shows an area about 250 km (150 mi) across, at a resolution of about 800 meters (2,600 feet). Two distinct terrain types are visible: a rugged, higher-elevation terrain (right) and a lower, striated terrain. Numerous craters on the rugged, higher terrain indicate that it is older than the lower terrain. Several scarps, probably faults, cut the different terrains. The impact crater in the lower part of this image is about 25 km (15 mi) across. The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. *Image Credit*: NASA
Uranus
title Uranus
description This is a view of Uranus taken by Voyager 2. This image was taken through three color filters and recombined to produce the color image. JPL manages and controls the Voyager project for NASA's Office of Space Science. *Image Credit*: NASA
Uranus Ring System
title Uranus Ring System
description This dramatic Voyager 2 picture reveals a continuous distribution of small particles throughout the Uranus ring system. Voyager took this image while in the shadow of Uranus, at a distance of 236,000 kilometers (142,000 miles and a resolution of about 33 km (20 ml). This unique geometry -- the highest phase angle at which Voyager imaged the rings -- allows us to see lanes of fine dust particles not visible from other viewing angles. All the previously known rings are visible here, however, some of the brightest features in the image are bright dust lanes not previously seen. The combination of this unique geometry and a long, 96 second exposure allowed this spectacular observation, acquired through the clear filter of Voyager's wide-angle camera. The long exposure produced a noticeable, non-uniform smear as well as streaks due to trailed stars. The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. *Image Credit*: JPL
Hubble Captures Detailed Ima …
title Hubble Captures Detailed Image of Uranus' Atmosphere
date 07.03.1995
description Hubble Space Telescope has peered deep into Uranus' atmosphere to see clear and hazy layers created by a mixture of gases. Using infrared filters, Hubble captured detailed features of three layers of Uranus' atmosphere. Hubble's images are different from the ones taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew by Uranus 10 years ago. Those images - not taken in infrared light - showed a greenish-blue disk with very little detail. The infrared image allows astronomers to probe the structure of Uranus' atmosphere, which consists of mostly hydrogen with traces of methane. The red around the planet's edge represents a very thin haze at a high altitude. The haze is so thin that it can only be seen by looking at the edges of the disk, and is similar to looking at the edge of a soap bubble. The yellow near the bottom of Uranus is another hazy layer. The deepest layer, the blue near the top of Uranus, shows a clearer atmosphere. Image processing has been used to brighten the rings around Uranus so that astronomers can study their structure. In reality, the rings are as dark as black lava or charcoal. This false color picture was assembled from several exposures taken July 3, 1995 by the Wide Field Planetary Camera-2. The Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and managed by the Goddard Spaced Flight Center for NASA's Office of Space Science. This image and other images and data received from the Hubble Space Telescope are posted on the World Wide Web on the Space Telescope Science Institute home page at URL http://oposite.stsci.edu *Image Credit*: Erich Karkoschka (University of Arizona Lunar & Planetary Lab) and NASA
Uranian Moons
title Uranian Moons
date 01.26.1986
description This "family portrait" of Uranus' five largest moons was compiled from images sent back Jan. 20, 1986, by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The pictures were taken through a clear filter from distances of 5.0 million to 6.1 million kilometers (3.1 million to 3.8 million miles). In this comparison, we see the relative sizes and relativities of the satellites. From left, in order of increasing distance from the planet, they are Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon. The two largest, Oberon and Titania, are about half the size of Earth's Moon, or roughly, 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) in diameter. Miranda, smallest of the five, has about one-quarter to one-third the diameter. Even in these distant views, the satellites exhibit distinct differences in appearance. On average, Oberon and Titania reflect about 20 percent of the sunlight, Umbriel about 12 percent, Ariel and Miranda about 30 percent. Ariel shows the largest contrast on its surface, with the brightest areas about 25 percent. All five satellites show only slight color variations on their surfaces, with their average color being very nearly gray. The best views of the satellites will be obtained Jan. 24, the day of closest approach. *Image Credit*: NASA
Hubble Tracks Clouds on Uran …
title Hubble Tracks Clouds on Uranus
date 07.28.1997
description Taking its first peek at Uranus, NASA Hubble Space Telescope's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) has detected six distinct clouds in images taken July 28,1997. The image on the right, taken 90 minutes after the left-hand image, shows the planet's rotation. Each image is a composite of three near-infrared images. They are called false-color images because the human eye cannot detect infrared light. Therefore, colors corresponding to visible light were assigned to the images. (The wavelengths for the "blue,""green," and "red" exposures are 1.1, 1.6, and 1.9 micrometers, respectively.) At visible and near-infrared light, sunlight is reflected from hazes and clouds in the atmosphere of Uranus. However, at near-infrared light, absorption by gases in the Uranian atmosphere limits the view to different altitudes, causing intense contrasts and colors. In these images, the blue exposure probes the deepest atmospheric levels. A blue color indicates clear atmospheric conditions, prevalent at mid-latitudes near the center of the disk. The green exposure is sensitive to absorption by methane gas, indicating a clear atmosphere, but in hazy atmospheric regions, the green color is seen because sunlight is reflected back before it is absorbed. The green color around the south pole (marked by "+") shows a strong local haze. The red exposure reveals absorption by hydrogen, the most abundant gas in the atmosphere of Uranus. Most sunlight shows patches of haze high in the atmosphere. A red color near the limb (edge) of the disk indicates the presence of a high-altitude haze. The purple color to the right of the equator also suggests haze high in the atmosphere with a clear atmosphere below. The five clouds visible near the right limb rotated counterclockwise during the time between both images. They reach high into the atmosphere, as indicated by their red color. Features of such high contrast have never been seen before on Uranus. The clouds are almost as large as continents on Earth, such as Europe. Another cloud (which barely can be seen) rotated along the path shown by the black arrow. It is located at lower altitudes, as indicated by its green color. The rings of Uranus are extremely faint in visible light but quite prominent in the near infrared. The brightest ring, the epsilon ring, has a variable width around its circumference. Its widest and thus brightest part is at the top in this image. Two fainter, inner rings are visible next to the epsilon ring. Eight of the 10 small Uranian satellites, discovered by Voyager 2, can be seen in both images. Their sizes range from about 25 miles (40 kilometers) for Bianca to 100 miles (150 kilometers) for Puck. The smallest of these satellites have not been detected since the departure of Voyager 2 from Uranus in 1986. These eight satellites revolve around Uranus in less than a day. The inner ones are faster than the outer ones. Their motion in the 90 minutes between both images is, marked in the right panel. The area outside the rings was slightly enhanced in brightness to improve the visibility of these faint satellites. The Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2 was developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and managed by the Goddard Spaced Flight Center for NASA's Office of Space Science. This image and other images and data received from the Hubble Space Telescope are posted on the World Wide Web on the Space Telescope Science Institute home page at URL http://oposite.stsci.edu/ *Image Credit*: NASA
Miranda as seen by Voyager 2
Title Miranda as seen by Voyager 2
Full Description Flying by in early 1986, Voyager 2 captured this picture of Miranda, which enabled scientists to study this moon of Uranus in much greater detail than ever before. Discovered in 1948 by Gerard Peter Kuiper, Miranda is named for the daughter of the wily Prospero in Shakespeare's "The Tempest." It is the eleventh known satellite of Uranus and the innermost large moon of Uranus It was necessary that Voyager 2 passed by Miranda, not for scientific reasons, but simply for the gravity assist it needed to go on to Neptune. Due to the position of the entire Solar System, Miranda provided the energy to throw Voyager 2 to Neptune. Before Voyager, Miranda was largely ignored as it is not the largest moon and did not seem to have any other outstanding qualities. Fortunately, however, Voyager passed close enough to Miranda to provide scientists with fascinating photographs that captivated astronomers. About half ice and half rock, Miranda's surface has terraced layers that indicate both older and new surfaces coexisting. Since the mixing of ancient and recent surfaces is rare in planetary geology, scientists have postulated two explanations for the different ages of the numerous valleys and cliffs on Miranda. One theory is that Miranda could have shattered as many as five times and was then reassembled. Another hypothesis is that partly melted ice upwells forced new surfaces to emerge.
Date 01/25/1986
NASA Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Solar System Montage of Voya …
Title Solar System Montage of Voyager Images
Full Description This montage of images taken by the Voyager spacecraft of the planets and four of Jupiter's moons is set against a false-color Rosette Nebula with Earth's moon in the foreground. Studying and mapping Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and many of their moons, Voyager provided scientists with better images and data than they had ever had before or expected from the program. Although launched sixteen days after Voyager 2, Voyager 1's trajectory was a faster path, arriving at Jupiter in March 1979. Voyager 2 arrived about four months later in July 1979. Both spacecraft were then directed to Saturn with Voyager 1 arriving in November 1980 and Voyager 2 in August 1981. Voyager 2 was then diverted to the remaining gas giants, Uranus in January 1986 and Neptune in August 1989. Data collection continues by both Voyager 1 and 2 as the renamed Voyager Interstellar Mission searches for the edge of the solar wind influence (the heliopause) and exits the Solar System. A shortened list of the discoveries of Voyager 1 and 2 include:the discovery of the Uranian and Neptunian magnetospheres (magnetic environments caused by various types of planet cores), the discovery of twenty-two new satellites including three at Jupiter, three at Saturn, ten at Uranus, and six at Neptune, Io was found to have active volcanism (the only other Solar System body than Earth to be confirmed), Triton was found to have active geyser-like structures and an atmosphere, Auroral Zones (where gases become excited after being hit by solar particles) were discovered at Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune, Jupiter was found to have rings, Neptune, originally thought to be too cold to support such atmospheric disturbances, had large-scale storms.
Date UNKNOWN
NASA Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Uranus
Title Uranus
Full Description This computer enhancement of a Voyager 2 image, emphasizes the high-level haze in Uranus' upper atmosphere. Clouds are obscured by the overlying atmosphere. JPL manages and controls the Voyager project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.
Date 01/01/1986
NASA Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Voyager 2 Launch
Title Voyager 2 Launch
Full Description Voyager 2 was launched August 20, 1977, sixteen days before Voyager 1 aboard a Titan-Centaur rocket. Their different flight trajectories caused Voyager 2 to arrive at Jupiter four months later than Voyager 1, thus explaining their numbering. The initial mission plan for Voyager 2 specified visits only to Jupiter and Saturn. The plan was augmented in 1981 to include a visit to Uranus, and again in 1985 to include a flyby of Neptune. After completing the tour of the outer planets in 1989, the Voyager spacecraft began exploring interstellar space. The Voyager mission has been managed by NASA's Office of Space Science and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Date 08/20/1977
NASA Center Kennedy Space Center
Voyager Tour Montage
Title Voyager Tour Montage
Full Description This montage of images of the planets visited by Voyager 2 was prepared from an assemblage of images taken by the Voyager 2 spacecraft. The Voyager Project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Date 08/01/1989
NASA Center Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Hubble Observes the Moons an …
Title Hubble Observes the Moons and Rings of the Planet Uranus
Hubble Observes the Moons an …
Title Hubble Observes the Moons and Rings of the Planet Uranus
Hubble Captures Detailed Ima …
Title Hubble Captures Detailed Image of Uranus's Atmosphere
Hubble Watches Uranus
Title Hubble Watches Uranus
Going, Going, Gone: Hubble C …
Title Going, Going, Gone: Hubble Captures Uranus's Rings on Edge
Hubble Observes the Moons an …
Title Hubble Observes the Moons and Rings of the Planet Uranus
A86-7001
Photographer : JPL Range: 72 …
11/28/85
Description Photographer : JPL Range: 72.3 million km. ( 44.9 million miles ) P-29314B/W This Voyager 2 photograph of Uranus shows the planets outermost, or epsilon, ring. This is a computerized summation of six images shot by the narrow angle camera. It is the first photo to show the epsilon ring unblurred by Earth's atmosphere. The Epsilon ring, some 51,200 km. ( 31,800 miles ) from the planets center, is the most prominent of Uranus' nine known rings. Ground based observations of stellar occulations by the rings have determined that the Epsilon ring is eccentric, or elliptical, with its widest portion about 100 km. ( 60 miles ) wide and its narrowest portion about 20 km. (12 miles ). Estimates of the rings brightness suggest that it is also very dark, with a reflectance of only 1 or 2 percent and a probable composition of carbonaceous material similiar to that on dark asteroids and the dark side of Saturn's moon Lapetus. Because the ring is so narrow and dark, at this range, the Voyager camera could not resolve even the widest part, resulting in long exposure times so obtain a good image. six exposures of 11 or 15 second duration were added together by computer to produce this image. In this image, the central portion is greatly overexposed. Various artifacts due to electronic effects and image proccessing can be seen in the central portion of the frame, including the dark image just above the planets image, the diffuse brightening below it and the small, bright projection from the edge of the planet in the upper left. The ring is distinctly less prominent in the lower left portion and more prominent in the upper right. This is in agreement with the predicted locations of the narrow and wide portions of the ring, respectively.
Date 11/28/85
A86-7002
Photographer : JPL Range : 3 …
12/27/85
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 36 million km. ( 22 million miles ) P-29426B/W This Voyager 2 photograph of Uranus shows the is the first picture to show clear evidence of latitudinal banding in the planet's atmosphere. This is a computerized summation of five images shot by the narrow angle camera. The concentric pattern emanates like a bulls-eye from the planets pole of rotation, which, in this view, lies left of center. uranus lies almost on its side with respect to the other planets and is rotating in a counter clockwise direction, as seen here. Clouds in the Uranian atmosphere give rise to the pattern, the first clear evidence of banding similiar to that seen previosly on Saturn and Jupiter. The bandind on Uranus, however, shows much less contrast. At the distance at which the images were acquired, Voyager's camera could have detected individual features as small as 660 km. (410 miles) across, but no such cloud or markings were apparent. Scientists cannot yet say what properties, such as cloud height, composition, or particle size, are giving rise to the varying levels of brightness visible here. The images composing this picture were shot through a filter that transmits only violet light. in the original, unprocessed images, the contrast of features producing the banding is low, not more than 10 percent. In order to reduce "noise" and enhance the visiblity of the features, processors combined five images and then compared the resulting composite to a hypothetical featureless planet illuminated by the Sun from the proper direction. Only the ratio between the original data and the hypothetical image is shown.
Date 12/27/85
A86-7005
Photographer : JPL Range : 7 …
1/18/81
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 7.7 million km. ( 4.8 million miles ) P-29465 In this image captured by Voyager 2, three newly discovered satellites of Uranus can be seen orbiting outside of the nine known rings of Uranus. The outermost of the rings, the Epsilon Ring can be seen here at upper right. The largest of the three moons viewed here, 1986U1, was discovered January 3rd. it is an estimated 90 km. ( 55 mi. ) across and its orbits Uranus every 12 hours, 19 minutes ata distance of 66,090 km. ( 41,040 mi.) from the planets center. the other two moons are slightly smaller, 1986U3 orbits every 11 hours, 6 minutes at 61,750 km. ( 38,350 mi.),1986U4 every 13 hours, 24 minutes at 69,920 km. ( 43,420 mi.). They were dicovered on January 9th and 13th, respectively. Long exposures were required to bring out these small objects. As a result of the relative motions of the spacecraft and the moons, they appear slightly elongated.
Date 1/18/81
A86-7006
Photographer : JPL Range : 4 …
1/21/81
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 4.1 million km. ( 2.5 million miles ) P-29466B/W Voyager 2 has discovered two "shepard" satellites associated with the rings of Uranus. The two moons, designated 1986U7 and 1986U8, are seen here on either side of the bright Epsilon Ring. All nine of the known Uranian rings are visible here. The image was proccessed to enhance narrow features. The Epsilon Ring appears surrounded by a dark halo as a result of this proccessing. Occasional blips seen on the ring are also artifacts. Lying inward from the Epsilon Ring are the Delta, Gamma, and Eta Rings, then the Beta abd Alpha Rings, and finally, the barely visible 4, 5, and 6 Rings. The rings have been studied since their discovery in 1977, through observations of how they diminish the light of stars they pass in front of. This image is the first direct observationn of all nine rings in reflected sunlight. They range in width from about 100 km. (60 mi.) at the widest part of the Epsilon Ring to only a few kilometers for most of the others. The discovery of the two ring moons 1986U7 and 1986U8 is a major advance in our understanding of the structure of the Uranian rings and is in good agreement with theoretical predictions of how these narrow rings are kept from spreading out. Based on likely surface brightness properties, the moons are of roughly 20 and 30 km. diameter, respectively.
Date 1/21/81
A86-7007
Photographer : JPL Range : 1 …
1/14/81
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 12.9 million km. ( 8.0 million miles ) P-29467B/W Time lapse Voyager 2 images of Uranus show the movement of two small, bright, streaky clouds, the first such features ever seen on the planet. The clouds were detected in this series of orange filtered images, over a 4.6 hour interval ( from top to bottom ). Uranus, which is tipped on its side with respect to the other planets, is rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, with its pole of rotation near the center of the disk, as are the two clouds seen here as bright streaks. The larger of the two clouds is ata lattitude of 33 degrees. The smaller cloud, seen faintly in the three lower images, lies at 26 degrees ( a lower alttitude and hence closer to the limb). Their counterclockwise periods of rotation are 16.2 and 16.9 hours, respectively. This difference implies that the lower lattitude feature is lagging behind the higher latitude feture at a speed of almost 100 meters pers second (220 mph). Latitudinal bands are also visible in these images, the faint bands, more numerous now then in previous Voyager images from longer range, are concentric with the pole rotation. thatis, they circle the planet in lines of contant latitude.
Date 1/14/81
A86-7011
Photographer : JPL Range : 2 …
1/14/86
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 2.52 million miles (1.56 million miles) P-29481B/W Voyager 2 returned this photograph with all nine known Uranus rings visible from a 15 sec. exposure through the narrow angle camera. The rings are quite dark and very narrow. The most prominent and outermost of the nine, Epsilon, is seen at top. The next three in toward Uranus, called Delta, Gamma, and Eta, are much fainter and more narrow than Epsilon ring. Then come Beta and Alpha rings, and finally, the innermost grouping, known simply as the 4,5, & 6 rings. The last three are very faint and are at the limit of detection for the Voyager camera. Uranus' rings range in width from about 100 km. (60 mi.) at the widest part of the Epsilon ring, to only a few kilometers for most of the others. this iamge was processed to enhance narrow features, the bright dots are imperfections on the camera detector. The resolution scale is about 50 km. (30 mi.)
Date 1/14/86
A86-7019
Photograpger: JPL P29503 Moo …
3/7/86
Description Photograpger: JPL P29503 Moon (closeup) Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus
Date 3/7/86
A86-7023
Photographer: JPL P-29507 Ri …
1/1/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29507 Rings Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus
Date 1/1/86
A86-7024
Photographer: JPL P-29508BW …
1/24/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29508BW Range: 1.12 million kilometers (690,000 miles) This clear-filter view of the Uranian rings delta, gamma, eta, beta and alpha (from top) was taken with Voyager 2's narrow-angle camera and clearly illustrates the broad outer component and narrow inner component of the eta ring, which orbits Uranus at a radius of some 47,000 km (29,000 mi). The broad component is considerably more transparent than the dense, narrow inner eta component, as well as the other narrow rings shown. Resolution here is about 10 km (6 mi).
Date 1/24/86
A86-7025
Photographer: JPL P-29509 BW …
1/26/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29509 BW Range: 500,000 kilometers (300,000 miles) This high-resolution image of Titania was made as Voyager 2 neared its closest approach to Uranus. Voyager's narrow-angle camera acquired this image through the violet and clear filters and shows details about 9 km (6 mi) in size. Titania has a diameter of about 1,600 km (1,000 MI). In addition to many scars due to impacts, Titania displays evidence of other geologic activity at some point in its history. The large trench-like feature near the terminator (day-night boundary) at middle right suggests at least one episode of tectonic activity, Another, basinlike structure near the upper right is evidence of an ancient period of heavy impact activity. The neutral gray color of Titania is characteristic of the Uranian satellites as a whole.
Date 1/26/86
A86-7027
Photographer: JPL P-29511 BW …
1/26/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29511 BW Range: 130,000 kilometers (80,000 miles) This clear-filter, narrow-angle picture is part of the high-resolution Voyager 2 imaging sequence of Ariel, a moon of Uranus about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) in diameter. The complexity of Ariels' surface indicates that a variety of geologic processes have occured. The numerous craters, for example, are indications of an old surface bombarded by meteroids over a long periond. Also conspicuous at this resolution, about 2.4 km (1.5 mi), are linear grooves (evidence of tectonic activity that has broken up the surface) and smooth patches (indicative of deposition of material).
Date 1/26/86
A86-7032
Photographer: JPL P-29516 BW …
1/24/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29516 BW Range: 125, 000 kilometers (78,000 miles) Voyager 2's wide-angle camera captured this view of the outer part of the Uranian ring system just 11 minutes before passing though the ring plane. The resolution in this clear-filter view is slightly better than 9 km (6 mi). The brightest, outermost ring is known as epsilon. Interior to epsilon lie (from top) the newly discovered 10th ring of Uranus--designated 1986UR1 and barely visible here--and then the delta, gamma and eta rings.
Date 1/24/86
A86-7033
P-25517 3 UP COMPOSITE Voyag …
1/19/95
Description P-25517 3 UP COMPOSITE Voyager 2 and Uranus
Date 1/19/95
A86-7035
Photographer: JPL P-29519BW …
1/27/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29519BW Range: 500,000 kilometers (300,000 miles) Several craters are seen on the surface of 1986U1, one of the several small moons of Uranus discovered by Voyager 2. This single image, a clear-filtered, narrow-angle picture with a resolution of about 10 km (6 mi), is the only closeup the spacecraft obtained of any of the new moons. The moon was found December 30, 1985, it was the first and largest of nine satellites discovered by the spacecraft's cameras. This image shows 1986U1 to be a dark, nearly spherical object, with a diameter of about 150 km (90 mi), the dark surface reflects only 7 percent of the incident light. The picture was inserted into the Voyager encounter sequence late in its development.This image has had a complex history, having been recorded on the spacecraft tape recorder and first played back during the late afternoon of its recording. An antenna-pointing problem at one of the Austrailian tracking stations led to the loss of the data, so the image had to be retransmitted.
Date 1/27/86
A86-7036
Photographer: JPL P-29520 BW …
1/27/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29520 BW Range: 130,000 kilometers (80,000 miles) This mosaic, taken through the clear-filter, narrow-angle camera, of the four highest-resolution images of Ariel represents the most detailed Voyager 2 picture of this satellite of Uranus. Ariel is about 1,200 km (750 mi) in diameter, the resolution here is 2.4 km (1.5 mi). Much of Ariel's surface is densely pitted with craters 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 mi) across. These craters are close to the threshold of detection in this picture. Numerous valleys and fault scarps crisscross the highly pitted terrain. voyager scientists believe the valleys have formed over down-dropped fault blocks (graben), apparently, extensive faulting has occured as a result of expansion and stretching of Ariel's crust. The largest fault valleys, near the terminator at right, as well as a smooth region near the center of this image, have been partly filled with deposits that are younger and less heavily cratered than the pitted terrain. Narrow, somewhat sinuous scarps and valleys have been formed, in turn, in these young deposits. It is not yet clear whether these sinuous features have been formed by faulting or by the flow of fluids.
Date 1/27/86
A86-7041
Photographer : JPL Range : 2 …
1/24/86
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 236,000 km. ( 147,000 mi. ) Resolution : 33 km. ( 20 mi. ) P-29525B/W This Voyager 2 image reveals a contiuos distribution of small particles throughout the Uranus ring system. This unigue geometry, the highest phase angle at which Voyager imaged the rings, allows us to see lanes of fine dust particles not visible from other viewing angles. All the previously known rings are visible. However, some of the brightest features in the image are bright dust lanes not previously seen. the combination of this unique geometry and a long, 96 second exposure allowed this spectacular observation, acquired through the clear filter if Voyager 2's wide angle camera. the long exposure produced a noticable, non-uniform smear, as well as streaks due to trailed stars.
Date 1/24/86
A89-7039
Photographer: JPL P-34712 Ra …
8/26/89
Description Photographer: JPL P-34712 Range: 1.1 million kilometers (683,000 miles) This wide-angle Voyager 2 image, taken through the camera's clear filter, is the first to show Neptune's rings in detail. The two main rings, about 53,000 km (33,000 miles) and 63,000 km (39,000 miles) from Neptune, are 5 to 10 times brighter than in earlier images. The difference is due to lighting and viewing geometry. In approach images, the rings were seen in light scattered backward toward the spacecraft at a 15 _ phase angle. However, this image was taken at a 135 _ phase angle as Voyager left the planet. That geometry is ideal for detecting microscopic particles that forward scatter light preferentially. The fact that Neptune's rings are so much brighter at that angle means the particle-size distribution is quite different from most of Uranus' and Saturn's rings, which contain fewer dust-size grains. However, a few componenets of the Saturian and Uranian ring systems exhibit forward-scattering behavior: The F ring and the Encke Gap ringlet at Saturn and 1986U1R at Uranus. They are also narrow, clumpy ringlets with kinks, and are associated with nearby moonlets too small to detect directly. In this image, the main clumpy arc, composed of three features each about 6 to 8 degrees long, is clearly seen. Exposure time for this image was 111 seconds.
Date 8/26/89
AC80-7000
Photographer : JPL Range : 1 …
8/24/80
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 106,250,000 km. ( 66 million miles) P-22830C This, Voyager 1 image shows Saturn and three of its satellites. A series of dark and light cloud bands appears through high altitude haze in the northern hemisphere. Cosiderable structure can be seen in the rings. The Cassini division, between the A-ring and B-ring, is readily visible. The shadow of rings on the planet's disk can also be seeen. The three satellites visible are, left to right, Enceladus (off the left edge of rings), Dione (just below the planet), and Tethys (at right edge of frame). The spacecraft will make its closest approach, 124,200 km. (77,174 miles) abovr the cloud tops, at 3:45 pm PST on Nov. 12, 1980. Nine months later, in August 1981, Voyager 2 will encounter Saturn and then continue on to Uranus.
Date 8/24/80
AC86-7000
Photographer : JPL Range : 7 …
1/24/86
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 74 million km. ( 46 million miles ) P-29313CThis Voyager photograph of Uranus is a composite of for images taken by the narrow angle camera. At this range, clouds and other features in the atmosphere as small as 1,370 km. could be detected by Voyager 2. Yet, no such features are visible. This view is toward the illuminated south pole of Uranus. The predominant blue color is the result of atmospheric methane, which absorbs the red wavelengths from incoming sunlight. The spot at the upper left edge of the planet's disk reulted from the removal of a reseau mark used in making measurments on the photograph. Three of Uranus' five known satellites are visible, Miranda ( at far right, closest to the planet ), Ariel ( next out , at top), and Umbriel ( lower left ). Titania and Oberon are now outside the narrow angle camera's field of view when it centered on the planet. This color composite was made from images taken through blue, green, orange, and clear filters.
Date 1/24/86
AC86-7003
Photographer : JPL P-29452 T …
1/1/86
Description Photographer : JPL P-29452 These two images of Uranus are shown here to reveal the pole rotation of the planet, as photographed by Voyager 2. The left is seen as the human eye would see, and the right isfalse color to reveal more intricate details.
Date 1/1/86
AC86-7009
Photographer : JPL Range : 9 …
1/17/86
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 9.1 million miles (5.7 million miles) P-29478C These two images pictures of Uranus, one in true color and the other in false color, were shot by Voyager 2's narrow angle camera. The picture at left has been processed to show Uranus as the human eye would see from the vantage point of the spacecraft. The image is a composite of shots taken through blue, green, and orange filters. The darker shadings on the upper right of the disk correspond to day-night boundaries on the planet. Beyond this boundary lies the hidden northern hemisphere of Uranus, which currently remains in total darkness as the planet rotates. The blue-green color results from the aborption of red light by methane gas in Uranus' deep, cold, and remarkably clear atmosphere. The picture at right uses false color and extreme contrast to bring out subtle details in the polar region of Uranus. Images obtained through ultraviolet, violet, and orange filters were respectively converted to the same blue, green, and red colors used to produce the picture at left. The very slight contrasts visible in true color are greatly exaggerated here. In this false colr picture, Uranus reveals a dark polar hood surrounded by aseries of progressively lighter concentric bands. One possible explanation is that a brownish haze or smog, concentrated around the pole, is arranged into bands of zonal motions of the upper atmosphere. Several artifacts of the optics and processing are visible. The occasional donut shapes are shadows cast by dust in the camera optics;the processing needed to bring ot faint features also bring out camera blemishes. in addition, the bright pink strip at the lower edge of the planets limb is an artifact of the image enhancement. In fact, the limb is dark and uniform in color around the planet.
Date 1/17/86
AC86-7012
Photographer : JPL Range : 2 …
1/12/86
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 2.77 million miles (1.72 million miles) resolution : 51 km. (32 mi.) P-29495C This Voyager 2 photograph of the outermost Uranian satellite, Oberon is a computer reconstruction of three frames , exposed through the narrow angle camera's blue, green, and orange filters. the grayness or apparent lack of strong color is a distinctive characteristic of the satellites and the rings of Uranus and can serve as one indicator of the possible composition of the satellites' surfaces. Oberon has a diameter of about 1,600 km. (1,000 mi.) and orbits the planet at a radial distance of 586,000 km. (364,000 mi.). Oberon's surface displays areas of lighter and darker material, probably associated in part with impact craters formed during its long exposure to bombardment by cosmic debris. Thr resolution of this particular image is not sufficient, however, to reveal with confidece the nature of these features.
Date 1/12/86
AC86-7014
Photographer : JPL Range : 2 …
1/22/86
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 2.7 million miles (1.7 million miles) P-29497C Tis Voyager 2, false color composite of Uranus demonstrates the usefulness of special filters in the Voyager cameras for revealing the presence of high altitude hazes in Uranus' atmosphere. The picture is a composite of images obtained through the single orange and two methane filters of Voyager's wide angle camera. Orange, short wavelength and long wavelength methane images are displayed, retrospectively, as blue, green, and orange. The pink area centered on the pole is due to the presence of hazes high in the atmosphere that reflect the light before it has traversed a long enough path through the atmosphere to suffer absorbtion by methane gas. The bluest region at mid-latitude represent the most haze free regions on Uranus, thus, deeper cloud levels can be detected in these areas.
Date 1/22/86
AC86-7017
Photographer: JPL P29501C Mo …
3/7/86
Description Photographer: JPL P29501C Moon from Voyager 2 Uranus flyby
Date 3/7/86
AC86-7025
Photographer: JPL P-29509 C …
1/26/86
Description Photographer: JPL P-29509 C Range: 500,000 kilometers (300,000 miles) This high-resolution color composite of Titania was made as Voyager 2 neared its closest approach to Uranus. Voyager's narrow-angle camera acquired this image through the violet and clear filters and shows details about 9 km (6 mi) in size. Titania has a diameter of about 1,600 km (1,000 MI). In addition to many scars due to impacts, Titania displays evidence of other geologic activity at some point in its history. The large trench-like feature near the terminator (day-night boundary) at middle right suggests at least one episode of tectonic activity, Another, basinlike structure near the upper right is evidence of an ancient period of heavy impact activity. The neutral gray color of Titania is characteristic of the Uranian satellites as a whole.
Date 1/26/86
AC86-7042
Photographer : JPL Range : 1 …
1/24/86
Description Photographer : JPL Range : 1 illion km. ( 600,000 mi. ) Resolution : 140 km. ( 90 mi. ) P-29539C This Voyager 2 image of Uranus was captured as the spacecraft was leaving Uranus behind on its cruise to Neptune. The image is a color composite of three photographs taken through blue, grren, and orange filters. Thin thin crecent seen here is at an angle of 153 degrees between the the spacecraft, the planet, and the sun. Even at this extreme angle, uranus retains the pale blue-green color seen by the ground based astronomers and recorded by Voyager 2 during its historic encounter, this color results from the presence of methane in Uranus' atmosphere. The gas absorbs red wavelengths of light, leaving the predominant hue seen here. The tendency for the cresent to become white at the extreme edge is cased by the presence of a high-altitude haze. Voyager 2, having encountered Jupiter in 1979, Saturn in 1981, and Uranus in 1986, will proceed on its jouney to Neptune. Closest approach is scheduled for August 24, 1989.
Date 1/24/86
Ariel at Voyager Closest App …
Title Ariel at Voyager Closest Approach
Description This picture is part of the highest-resolution Voyager 2 imaging sequence of Ariel, a moon of Uranus about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) in diameter. The clear-filter, narrow-angle image was taken Jan. 24, 1986, from a distance of 130,000 km (80,000 mi). The complexity of Ariel's surface indicates that a variety of geologic processes have occurred. The numerous craters, for example, are indications of an old surface bombarded by meteoroids over a long period. Also conspicuous at this resolution, about 2.4 km (1.5 mi), are linear grooves (evidence of tectonic activity that has broken up the surface) and smooth patches (indicative of deposition of material). The Voyager project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Date 01.26.1986
Ariel's Densely Pitted Surfa …
Title Ariel's Densely Pitted Surface
Description This mosaic of the four highest-resolution images of Ariel represents the most detailed Voyager 2 picture of this satellite of Uranus. The images were taken through the clear filter of Voyager's narrow-angle camera on Jan. 24, 1986, at a distance of about 130,000 kilometers (80,000 miles). Ariel is about 1,200 km (750 mi) in diameter, the resolution here is 2.4 km (1.5 mi). Much of Ariel's surface is densely pitted with craters 5 to 10 km (3 to 6 mi) across. These craters are close to the threshold of detection in this picture. Numerous valleys and fault scarps crisscross the highly pitted terrain. Voyager scientists believe the valleys have formed over down-dropped fault blocks (graben), apparently, extensive faulting has occurred as a result of expansion and stretching of Ariel's crust. The largest fault valleys, near the terminator at right, as well as a smooth region near the center of this image, have been partly filled with deposits that are younger and less heavily cratered than the pitted terrain. Narrow, somewhat sinuous scarps and valleys have been formed, in turn, in these young deposits. It is not yet clear whether these sinuous features have been formed by faulting or by the flow of fluids. JPL manages the Voyager project for NASA's Office of Space Science.
Date 01.27.1986
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