Astronomers Discover The True Color Of Neptune

Chris Lawson April 5, 2024
NASA/JPL-Caltech

Unveiling Neptune's True Colors

In 1989, Voyager 2 embarked on a groundbreaking mission, becoming the first spacecraft to venture past Neptune, capturing mesmerizing images of the distant ice giant. However, what we've come to associate with Neptune's deep azure hue may not reflect its true colors. Recent research sheds light on the real appearance of Neptune and its celestial sibling Uranus, challenging our perceptions and revealing tantalizing secrets about these enigmatic worlds.

A team of scientists led by Patrick Irwin from the University of Oxford embarked on a mission to unveil the authentic colors of Neptune and Uranus. Their analysis, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, involved recalibrating composite images taken by Voyager 2, using data from cutting-edge instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. The result? A more accurate depiction of these distant giants, as they would appear to the human eye.

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