NOIRLab News

NOIRLab noirlab2211: Gemini North Telescope Helps Explain Why Uranus and Neptune Are Different Colors — Observations from Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, and other telescopes reveal that excess haze on Uranus makes it paler than Neptune. Astronomers may now understand why the similar planets Uranus and Neptune are different colors. Using observations from the Gemini North telescope, the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, and the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers have developed a single atmospheric model that matches ...

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Gemini North Telescope Helps Explain Why Uranus and Neptune Are Different Colors

31 May 2022 — NOIRLab Science Release noirlab2211

Astronomers may now understand why the similar planets Uranus and Neptune are different colors. Using observations from the Gemini North telescope, the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, and the Hubble Space Telescope, researchers have developed a single atmospheric model that matches observations of both planets. The model reveals that excess haze on Uranus builds up in the planet’s stagnant, sluggish atmosphere and makes it appear a lighter tone than Neptune.

The release, images and videos are available on:
https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2211/

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NOIRLab Communications, Education & Engagement
31 May 2022

NOIRLab Announcements

NOIRLab Celebrates AstroDay in Hilo with Hawai‘i Community — NSF’s NOIRLab staff participate in the annual AstroDay event in Hilo

20 May 2022

Led each year by the University of Hawai‘i’s Institute for Astronomy, AstroDay is one of the most well-attended astronomy outreach events in Hawai‘i. For the first time since the pandemic, ...