Wow, Uranus is showing off more these days.
Peering beneath clouds of the ice giant – Uranus – scientists have seen strong evidence of a large polar cyclone at the planet’s north pole. Astronomers, using data from ground-based telescopes, looked deeper into Uranus’ atmosphere than ever before, observing that air at the north pole seems drier and warmer, an indication of a strong cyclone.
This new view of Uranus adds to the data that all planets in our solar system with a substantial atmosphere show signs of a swirling vortex at the poles. Our Voyager-2 spacecraft captured evidence of a cyclone at the planet’s other end, the south pole, when it passed by the ice giant in 1986.
Image descriptions:
Image 1: A microwave observation in wavelength band Ka shows Uranus in shades of blue and green, with the colors tinting lighter green toward the right side of the planet. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/VLA
Image 2: A microwave observation in wavelength band Q shows the ice giant in sh...
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