daenel
daenel OP t1_jdq2g8g wrote
Reply to comment by Ranokae in Uranus atmospheric changes while slowly reaching the Summer Solstice by daenel
And this is one has the most visible effects
daenel OP t1_jdoi0on wrote
"As seen in 2022, Uranus’s north pole shows a thickened photochemical haze that looks similar to the smog over cities. Several little storms can be seen near the edge of the polar haze boundary. Hubble has been tracking the size and brightness of the north polar cap and it continues to get brighter year after year. Astronomers are disentangling multiple effects — from atmospheric circulation, particle properties, and chemical processes — that control how the atmospheric polar cap changes with the seasons. At the Uranian equinox in 2007, neither pole was particularly bright. As the northern summer solstice approaches in 2028 the cap may grow brighter still, and will be aimed directly toward Earth, allowing good views of the rings and the north pole; the ring system will then appear face-on. This image was taken on 10 November 2022."
daenel OP t1_jdqfvjl wrote
Reply to comment by porcupineapplepieces in Uranus atmospheric changes while slowly reaching the Summer Solstice by daenel
Indeed! One of the main NASA decadal objective is an Uranus orbiter, we have already planned it. The mission should be launched in 2030 to reach the planet in 2040. The main problem is the fund, and it looks they don't want to invest in it, so, we risk to loose our once-in-a-lifetime chance to get there