This is an image of Uranus in false color.
Click on image for full size
NASA

Uranus Clouds, Overview

The clouds of Uranus, composed of methane crystals, are found very low in the atmosphere, and are difficult to see below the smog haze s of the planet. False color is used, in the image of Uranus to the right, to better show the pattern the clouds make. In the image, the atmosphere displays a pattern of concentric circles (that is circles inside of circles). This is because the center o f the image is the north pole. The winds of Uranus blow clouds counterclockwise in the picture, as opposed to left to right as they would in an image of Jupiter.

Because Uranus lies on its side, with the north pole facing the sun, the seasons, and weather of Uranus should be very strange.


Last modified May 7, 2009 by Randy Russell.

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