Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Uranus' changing orientation

Uranus' changing orientation
Uranus' changing orientation From 2001 to 2004, Uranus's motion around the Sun has changed its orientation as seen from Earth in these images taken through Keck II's K prime filter. The four images show how the Adaptive Optics system has improved over time. De Pater studied the brightness of the ring ansae ("handles") to determine that the rings are composed of a single layer of particles. Imke de Pater, Seran Gibbard, Heidi Hammel / W. M. Keck Observatory