Uranus: Final Image by Voyager 2 | 25-01-1986 | ||
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This view of Uranus was recorded by Voyager 2 on Jan 25, l986, as the spacecraft left the planet behind and set forth on the cruise to Neptune Voyager was 1 million kilometers from Uranus when it acquired this wide- angle view. | ||
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Image Credit: JPL/NASA | |||
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Planetary
Facts: Uranus Equatorial radius (km): 25559 Mass (relative to Earth): 14.54 Density (g/cm3): 1.32 Surface gravity: 0.89 (relative to Earth) Rotation period: 17.24 hours Axial inclination: 97.9° Distance from Sun (AU): 19.22 Orbital period: 83.75 years Orbital eccentricity: 0.046 Composition of surface: gassy Mean cloud-top temperature: -214°C Composition of atmosphere: hydrogen (83%), helium (15%), methane (2%) Number of satellites: 18-21 |
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This
view of Uranus was recorded by Voyager 2 on Jan 25, l986, as the spacecraft
left the planet behind and set forth on the cruise to Neptune Voyager was
1 million km from Uranus when it acquired this wide- angle view. The picture
-- a colour composite of blue, green and orange frames -- has a resolution
of 140 km. The thin crescent of Uranus seen here at an angle of 153° between the spacecraft, the planet and the Sun. Even at this extreme angle, Uranus retains the pale blue-green colour seen by ground- based astronomers and recorded by Voyager during its historic encounter. This colour results from the presence of methane in Uranus' atmosphere; the gas absorbs red wavelengths of light, leaving the predominant hue seen here. The tendency for the crescent to become white at the extreme edge is caused by the presence of a high-altitude haze. |
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