The True Colors of Neptune and Uranus Revealed
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the obvious difference in the colors of Neptune and Uranus, despite their similarities in all other aspects. However, new research has now shed light on this discrepancy, revealing that the true colors of these two ice giant planets are, in fact, very close and tend to be aqua.
Data collected by Voyager 2 in 1986 and 1989 showed that Uranus is a beautiful aqua color, while Neptune appeared to be a darker blue tone. Astronomers were left baffled as the atmospheric composition and size of the two planets were almost identical, leading to the realization that something was amiss.
The discrepancy was finally unraveled by an Oxford University team, which discovered that the color distortion of Neptune was caused by the synthesis of images using a single wavelength of light. The contrast of many Neptune images had been enhanced to make cloud belts, clouds, and storms more visible, inadvertently making Neptune appear bluer than it really is.
To accurately determine the true colors of Neptune and Uranus, the team used data collected by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Very Large Telescope to reprocess the composite images created by Voyager 2. The result revealed that both planets exhibit a similar icy blue-green color, dispelling the longstanding misconception about their appearance.
While Neptune is still slightly bluer than Uranus, the difference is not as significant as previously believed. The new findings have been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, putting an end to the age-old mystery of the colors of Neptune and Uranus.