Neptune isn't as blue as you think, and these new images of the planet prove it
Neptune isn't as blue as you think, and these new images of the planet prove it
A new treatment of images collected by Voyager 2 in the late 1980s using data from the Hubble Space Telescope has revealed the actual colors of the solar system's distant ice giants, Neptune and Uranus.
No don't let them ruin another blue planet
Pluto told them they would be coming for the rest of the planets next, but did they listen? No they looked the other way while Pluto was getting beat down and no longer granted the rank of planet, even though he still sits on the council. Now they are coming for the rest of the planets and nobody will do anything.
For real though, the current definition of planets sucks. I get they wanted to change it because they didn't want to have dozens of smaller objects be considered planets. But they could have come up with a better definition.
First they came for the dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, and I did not speak out—because I was not a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt.
Then they came for the blue gas giant, and I did not speak out—because I was not a blue gas giant.
Then they came for the rest of the obscure planets we learned about in elementary school in the 80s, and I did not speak out—because I was not an obscure planet we learned about in elementary school in the 80s
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
They discovered a dwarf planet ice ball larger than Pluto, with hundreds more similar size likely. TNOs haven't cleared their orbit but are large enough to be spherical so fail to be a proper planet. I see you say the IAC should have done better but don't offer a solution, what's yours? Have kids remember the 79+ planets on a monthly changing poster in the classroom?
"Wait, how can I be on the council without the rank of Planet?"
-Planet Wars, Episode III
Blue lives matter.
"Even though the artificially saturated color was known at the time amongst planetary scientists — and the images were released with captions explaining it — that distinction had become lost over time."
Things like this are why I have a bit of a bone to pick with astrophotography. Those breathtaking images of nebula or gas clouds? Manipulated to the point they might as well be fake.
"This is what the nebula would look like if we could see IR and if we made all the different elements like Hydrogen and Nitrogen glow in different neon colors to distinguish them"
Cool, so not actually at all what the nebula looks like. Got it.
But that's what the public sees, and most people think that if you had a powerful enough telescope, you'd see all these amazing colors and details. But that's not really the case at all.
I submit that the value of communicating spectroscopic information far outweighs the marginal negative impact of false coloration. Though, perhaps it should be normative to display nebulae in the visible spectrum side-by-side with the false color images. Problem there is that many nebulae do not give off appreciable visible light.
I heard an interview with an astronomer, who was asked if pictures from Hubble were "real". He began by pointing out that you eye is not 2.4 meters across, so expecting it's photos to be "real" is starting from a flawed premise.
Damn this is actually upsetting, Neptune is my second favorite planet because of those Voyager pics, that deep blue with white clouds is just iconic.
Still not as bland as Uranus, but damn what a downgrade.
Never thought it was blue, tbh. Always assumed it was a greenish-blue or cyan, like in this picture:
Turns out it's not either. More creamy pale greenish blue.
This is just a conspiracy by the solar system poster industry to print new posters
It does look a bit more like an "ice giant" now rather than the oversaturated tropical blue oasis vibe of the older picture.
It blows my mind that we didn't know true colors of a planet in our solar system for that long.
the artificially saturated color was known at the time amongst planetary scientists — and the images were released with captions explaining it
We did know. Somewhere along the way, the context of the pretty picture was lost.
the fact we know there are planets at all blows my mind a lil bit
like we can aim a tube with a precision crafted piece of glass to see big balls in the sky??
damn, the universe really be seeming more and more mid
I'm going to pretend I didn't see this so I can love and cherish the blueness of it for all my mortal time.
Uranus got bleached too.
This is what life is now. One by one, every little piece of wonder being ripped away that makes the universe feel magical. I could've never imagined that someone could change what a planet looks like. You should not have posted this OP, it made me feel a bit depressed.
That's a weird takeaway from this. I rather took it as a reminder that even in our own solar system, there's still surprises waiting for us, and there's so much more to explore. Doesn't take away from the wonder at all for me.
Eh, I guess learning about the solar system was something that I was really bewondered by especially as a child. And the unique, iconic deep blue I've grown to know is just part of the fundamental things of how the world should be. It is cool that we continue to find new things but it's also a bit more bland and less special as a result. More of an emotional thought than a rational one.
Wow nice
