Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Uranus spins on its side, creating bizarre seasons unlike any other planet. Hubble’s 20-year watch reveals dramatic atmospheric shifts driven by this extreme tilt.
Methane isn’t spread evenly—Hubble found it’s strongly depleted near the poles, a stable anomaly that defies patterns seen on Jupiter and Saturn.
As Uranus nears its northern summer solstice in 2030, its north pole grows brighter due to a sharp rise in aerosols—sparked by increasing sunlight.
Aerosol haze near the poles has transformed over time, darkening in shadowed south, brightening in sunlit north. The Sun appears to “paint” the atmosphere.
False-color images reveal chemical shifts invisible to human eyes. Red regions show stratospheric zones stripped of methane—exposing layers unseen before Hubble.
Hubble data points to deep atmospheric circulation: methane sinks at the poles and rises at mid-latitudes, shaping weather on this icy giant.
Uranus takes 84 Earth years to orbit the Sun. In two decades, astronomers have captured just part of one season—northern spring heading into summer.
Once thought to be bland, Uranus now shows rich atmospheric life—from shifting clouds to dynamic haze, the planet hides complexity behind its cyan hue.
Studying Uranus helps decode distant exoplanets of similar size and makeup. Hubble’s work turns Uranus into a test case for other alien worlds.