NOIRLab - The Colors of Uranus & Neptune

Neptune and Uranus have much in common — they have similar masses, sizes, and atmospheric compositions — yet their appearances are notably different. At visible wavelengths Neptune has a distinctly bluer color whereas Uranus is a pale shade of cyan. In this podcast, Dr. Patrick Irwin discusses new research shedding light on the differences in the colors of Uranus and Neptune.    Bios:  - Rob Sparks is in the Communications, Education and Engagement group at NSF’s NOIRLab. - Dr. Patrick Irwin is a  University Lecturer at the University of Oxford, working on remote sensing of planetary atmospheres. He has been a co-investigator on a number of spacecraft missions, such as Cassini/CIRS, Venus Express/VIRTIS and Rosetta/VIRTIS and is also involved with ground-based observations of the giant planets with telescopes such as IRTF, Gemini, UKIRT and VLT. His main research interests at present are the study of the gas giants, especially the ice giants (Uranus and Neptune) and also exoplanets. ​ Link: https://noirlab.edu/public/news/noirlab2211/   We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].