Uranus and Neptune are solar system neighbors with many similarities, including comparable masses, diameters, and atmospheric compositions; nonetheless, Neptune appears much bluer than Uranus. A new study conducted by Professor Patric Irwin of the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics reveals that a layer of haze that occurs on both planets is responsible for the varied tints of blue. Without this veil, both planets would seem equally blue.
A group of worldwide scientists utilized the Hubble Space Telescope, the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, and the Gemini North telescope to define aerosol layers in the atmospheres of both planets.
“This is the first model to concurrently fit measurements of reflected sunlight at wavelengths ranging from ultraviolet to near-infrared. It is also the first theory to explain the observable color difference between Uranus and Neptune, according to Irwin, the primary author of the research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
The team’s model indicates that the atmospheres of Neptune and Uranus include three layers of haze at varying altitudes. According to reports, the intermediate layer of haze particles on Uranus is thicker than its counterpart on Neptune.
Methane ice condenses on particles in the intermediate layer of haze, resulting in a methane snow shower that drags haze particles further into the atmosphere. Once there, the haze particles can encourage the condensation of hydrogen sulphide ice, resulting in the formation of a distinct, deeper layer of haze.
Neptune’s atmosphere is more active and turbulent than Uran’s, indicating that it is more effective in stirring gaseous methane into the haze layer, where it may condense on haze particles and generate this snow. This eliminates more haze and maintains a thinner haze layer over Neptune, making the planet seem bluer. The extra haze on Uranus accumulates and gives the planet a lighter hue.
The investigation also revealed the existence of a second, deeper layer in the model, which, when darkened, might account for the infrequent black areas found on Neptune and less frequently on Uranus. The astronomers were aware of these dark areas on both planets, but they did not know which haze layer was responsible for them.
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