Auroras seen on Uranus for first time

Two Earth-size auroral storms were observed by the Hubble Space Telescope as they flared up of the gas giant in November 2011.

It is the first time that astronomers have snapped photos of auroras lighting up the gaseous giant Uranus.

“The last time we had any definite signals of auroral activity on Uranus was when NASA’s Voyager 2 probe swung by in 1986.

But this is the first time we can actually see these emissions light up with an Earth-based telescope,” said study leader Laurent Lamy, an astronomer at the Observatoire de Paris in Meudon, France.

Image: Laurent Lamy

via wired

- See also:

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• Images of the Lunar Eclipse Dec. 10
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• Best of Astronomy 2011
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• Crater with Gullies on Mars

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