Close-up: Uranus Aurorae (October 2022)
This image of Uranus’ aurorae was taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope on 10 October 2022. These observations were made by the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and includes both visible and ultraviolet data.
An international team of astronomers used Hubble to make new measurements of Uranus' interior rotation rate by analyzing more than a decade of the telescope’s observations of Uranus’ aurorae. This refinement of the planet’s rotation period achieved a level of accuracy 1000 times greater than previous estimates and serves as a crucial new reference point for future planetary research.
About the Data
- InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.Space Telescope Imaging Spectrometer (STIS)
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.10 October 2022
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.Uranus
- Release DateApril 9, 2025
- Science ReleaseHubble Helps Determine Uranus’ Rotation Rate with Unprecedented Precision
- CreditESA/Hubble, NASA, L. Lamy, L. Sromovsky
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Details
Claire Andreoli
Astrophysics Communications Manager
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
Bethany Downer
ESA/Hubble Chief Science Communications Officer
Bethany.Downer@esahubble.org
