This is an image of Uranus. Click on image for full size version (79K GIF) Image from: NASA

The bland aquamarine face of Uranus bears witness to the fact that Uranus is enshrouded in clouds. The planet appears to be blue-green because the atmosphere absorbs the red wavelengths of the visible spectrum . The uniformity of the planet's appearance confirms that the planet's atmosphere is composed almost solely of one element, methane gas. There is a preponderance of haze, composed of ethane and other hydrocarbon ices high in the stratosphere, and clouds of methane ice low in the troposphere. The cloud particles constantly recycle themselves, first creating then destroying the heaviest crystals. This is an indication that Uranus' atmosphere is still evolving from its formation out of the solar nebula. Because Uranus lies on its side, Uranus has very strange seasons. Motions in the cloud patterns indicate that, like Jupiter and Saturn, the basic meteorology of Uranus can be described as a striped pattern of winds. This means that, even though the pattern is difficult to distinquish, Uranus is striped, just like Jupiter and Saturn.

This is an image of Uranus. Click on image for full size version (79K GIF) Image from: NASA

The plain aquamarine face of Uranus confirms the fact that Uranus is covered with clouds. The sameness of the planet's appearance shows that the planet's atmosphere is mostly composed of one thing, methane. The planet appears to be blue-green because the methane gas of the atmosphere traps red light and does not allow that color to escape. Beside clouds of methane crystals low in the atmosphere, smog, composed of ethane (the same product that can provide fuel for automobiles), is also present high in the atmosphere. The cloud particles constantly recycle themselves, first creating then destroying the heaviest crystals. This is an indication that Uranus' atmosphere is still evolving from its formation out of the solar nebula. Because Uranus lies on its side, Uranus has very strange seasons. Motions in the cloud patterns indicate that, like Jupiter and Saturn, the basic weather of Uranus can be described as a striped pattern of winds. This means that, even though the pattern is hard to see, Uranus is striped, just like Jupiter and Saturn.

This is an image of Uranus. Click on image for full size version (79K GIF) Image from: NASA

The plain bluegreen face of Uranus shows that Uranus is made of of only one thing. Beside clouds, there is also smog.

Uranus' atmosphere is still forming.

Motions in the cloud patterns indicate that, like Jupiter and Saturn, the winds of Uranus move in a striped pattern. This means that, even though the pattern is hard to see, Uranus is striped, just like Jupiter and Saturn.

Uranus is the most strange planet of all because the daytime on Uranus lasts for the whole summer. In fact, Uranus has very strange seasons because it is a sideways planet!