Two Views of Uranus

Here are two views of the planet Uranus. On the left is a view of the planet as human eyes would see it. The blue-green color is due to the absorption of red light by methane gas in the atmosphere.  On the right is what scientists call a false-color image. Colors are used to highlight certain features on Uranus. With this method, a dark "hood" can be seen at the pole.

The Voyager 2 spacecraft took this image in 1986.

Image credit: NASA/JPL