NASA Hubble Telescope Pictures Give Grand Tour of Solar System's Giant Planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune [LOOK]

NASA has published new photographs of the outer planets acquired by the Hubble Space Telescope. Every year, the Hubble Space Telescope captures pictures of the solar system's outer planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

NASA Hubble Space Telescope Takes Photos of the Outer Planets

NASA Hubble's official Twitter account provided followers with an update on the state of numerous distant planets. NASA Hubble also posted a YouTube video embedded below this page that outlines the grand tour in further detail. The telescope usually does annual checks on planets to determine and comprehend the many changes over the year.

The twin spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2 left the Earth in 1977 on their mission of discovery, which intends to provide mankind with its first close-up look of the outer planets through its Grand Tour program, according to NASA Goddard. After four decades, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is embarking on its own grand tour.

Hubble's Outer Planets Atmosphere Legacy (OPAL) mission, which it has taken over, intends to closely examine numerous gas giants every year since it took over the operation. It can study minor changes in the planet's atmospheres over time and better understand how it evolves by doing so.

The NASA Hubble Space Telescope, for example, took detailed photographs of the outer planets despite being over 3 billion miles away. According to CNet, Hubble has spent more than three decades delving into the mysteries of space. The telescope's staff is now resolving a technical issue. Still, one of the telescope's critical science equipment is up and operating. In 2022, astronomers may expect another series of planetary pictures from Hubble if everything goes well.

Solar System's Outer Planets

According to NASA's blog article, this year's grand tour of the outer solar system by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope was completed. The space agency obtained spectacular photographs that complement current and prior research from interplanetary missions. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are the four farthest planets mentioned.

Dark Spot on Neptune

Researchers discovered in September that Neptune's black patch, which was previously demonstrated to have turned directions from traveling towards the equator, is still present, coupled with a gloomy northern hemisphere, according to NASA.

In addition to this finding, the planet Neptune's south pole is encircled by a black, expanded circle.

The blue tint of Neptune and Uranus is generated by their methane-rich atmosphere's absorption of red light, which is combined with the same Rayleigh-scattering process that causes the sky to seem blue on Earth.

The observation this year clearly demonstrates that Neptune does have a few spectacular clouds, and its characteristic blue with a single large black spot is comparable to what Voyager 2 saw in 1989.

New Storms on Jupiter

Since multiple new storms have shown in this year's Hubble pictures of Jupiter, the rapidity of change in color near the planet's equator continues to amaze researchers.

Aside from that, experts have noticed that Red Spot Jr, which is located south of the Great Red Spot, is still a deeper beige hue and is accompanied by an anticyclonic storm.

Saturn's Color Changes

In September of last year, Hubble got a new look at Saturn, finding rapid and dramatic color changes in the planet's rings in the northern hemisphere. The bands have varied throughout Hubble's studies in 2019 and 2020.

Saturn was photographed by Hubble following the southern hemisphere's winter, as seen by the south pole's lingering blue-ish tint.

Hubble has already enabled researchers to track seasonal variations in the northern hemisphere.

Polar Region of Uranus Has Brightened

The dazzling northern polar hood of Uranus was also seen in the obtained view of Uranus last month.

Spring has come in the northern hemisphere, and the arctic area looks to be brightening due to the increasing UV radiation absorbed from the Sun.

Researchers are also studying atmospheric methane gas concentrations, haze particle characteristics, and airflow patterns to see how variations in these variables impact the polar hood's brightness.

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