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20 Years of Uranus Observations

Graphic titled “Hubble Space Telescope – Observations of Uranus,” with 16 images of Uranus, arranged in a 4 by 4 grid showing changes in appearance of Uranus as observed by Hubble between 2002 and 2022. Columns are labeled with observation year, from left to right: 2002; 2012; 2015; and 2022. Rows are labeled from top to bottom: visible light; visible and near infrared; aerosols/haze; and methane depletion. In the visible light images in the top row, Uranus appears blue-green with faint vertical bends of slightly lighter or darker color. In the visible and near infrared images in the second row, Uranus is very colorful, with deep neon blue to neon green bands within an orange-red glow that outlines the edge of the planet. In the two bottom rows of images, Uranus appears in grayscale, with vertical bands ranging from dark gray to almost white. All four rows of images show changes from observation to observation (left to right). For a given year, all four images in the column show similar banding patterns.
The image columns show the change of Uranus for the four years that STIS observed Uranus across a 20-year period. Over that span of time, the researchers watched the seasons of Uranus as the south polar region darkened going into winter shadow while the north polar region brightened as northern summer approaches.

About the Data

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS)
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    Uranus
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Gas Giant Planet
  • Release Date
    March 31, 2025
  • Science Release
    20-Year Hubble Study of Uranus Yields New Atmospheric Insights
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, Erich Karkoschka (LPL)

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 31, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Ann Jenkins
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland

Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Maryland

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