Uranus Pictures

So far, only one spacecraft has ever captured an image of Uranus: NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft. So let’s take a look at some pictures of Uranus, some captured by Voyager 2, and others seen from Hubble, and even here on the ground.


[/caption]
This is the classic image of Uranus, taken by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft during its 1986 flyby of Uranus. During this mission, Voyager 2 came within 81,500 kilometers of the cloudtops of Uranus. Until then, the best pictures of Uranus came from telescopes on Earth. Nothing compared to the pictures of Uranus sent back by Voyager 2.


Uranus seen from Earth. Image credit: Keck

This beautiful picture of Uranus might look like it was captured by a space telescope, but it was actually taken from the powerful Keck telescope located on Hawaii’s Mauna Kea. This image shows Uranus in the infrared spectrum, which reveals the detailed cloud patterns in the atmosphere of the planet.


Uranus with its moons and rings. Image credit: Hubble

This Uranus pic was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. On the left is the image itself, and then on the right are the names of all the moons captured in this photograph of Uranus.


Crescent Uranus. Image credit: NASA/JPL

This beautiful image of Uranus was captured by NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft curing its 1986 flyby of the planet. It was actually three images captured at different wavelengths and then combined on computer.

Like these pictures of Uranus? Here are some images of Pluto, and photographs of the Sun.

If you’d like more info on Uranus, check out Hubblesite’s News Releases about Uranus. And here’s a link to the NASA’s Solar System Exploration Guide to Uranus.

We have recorded an episode of Astronomy Cast just about Uranus. You can access it here: Episode 62: Uranus.

Fraser Cain

Fraser Cain is the publisher of Universe Today. He's also the co-host of Astronomy Cast with Dr. Pamela Gay. Here's a link to my Mastodon account.

Recent Posts

The Universe Could Be Filled With Ultralight Black Holes That Can't Die

Steven Hawking famously calculated that black holes should evaporate, converting into particles and energy over…

4 hours ago

Starlink on Mars? NASA Is Paying SpaceX to Look Into the Idea

NASA has given the go-ahead for SpaceX to work out a plan to adapt its…

18 hours ago

Did You Hear Webb Found Life on an Exoplanet? Not so Fast…

The JWST is astronomers' best tool for probing exoplanet atmospheres. Its capable instruments can dissect…

24 hours ago

Vera Rubin’s Primary Mirror Gets its First Reflective Coating

First light for the Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO) is quickly approaching and the telescope is…

1 day ago

Two Stars in a Binary System are Very Different. It's Because There Used to be Three

A beautiful nebula in the southern hemisphere with a binary star at it's center seems…

2 days ago

The Highest Observatory in the World Comes Online

The history of astronomy and observatories is full of stories about astronomers going higher and…

2 days ago