As if the name of the planet wasn't enough, scientists recently discovered Uranus is home to foul smelling clouds.
SpaceCom
Researchers have long wondered about the composition of the clouds high up in Uranus' sky — specifically, whether they're dominated by ammonia ice, as at Jupiter and Saturn, or by hydrogen sulfide ice. The answer has proved elusive, because it's tough to make observations with the required detail on distant Uranus. University of Oxford researchers examining the planet's infrared light through the Gemini North telescope discovered clouds of hydrogen sulfide spreading into Uranus' upper atmosphere.
The data were obtained with the Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS) instrument on the Gemini North telescope on Hawaii's Mauna Kea summit.
The spectroscopic measurements break infrared light from Uranus into its component wavelengths. Bands in the resulting spectrum known as absorption lines, where the gas absorbs infrared light coming from the Sun, allowed the scientists to "fingerprint" components of Uranus' atmosphere.
Site Information
About Us
- RonPaulForums.com is an independent grassroots outfit not officially connected to Ron Paul but dedicated to his mission. For more information see our Mission Statement.
Connect With Us