New research has found that the true colors of Uranus and Neptune are actually similar, with a bluish-green tint, exposing the cause of years of misunderstanding.
The two outermost “ice giant planets” in the solar system are very similar in size, mass and atmospheric conditions, but the image data taken have always shown that Uranus is light green, while Neptune is dark blue. However, recent research has reprocessed old data and obtained new images, and found that the colors of the two planets are actually very similar, leaning towards blue-green.
Neptune and Uranus seen in true colours for first time
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) January 5, 2024
NASA’s Voyager 2 probe collected data during flybys of Uranus and Neptune in 1986 and 1989. The data showed that Uranus has a beautiful aqua color, while Neptune has a blue hue. However, the conditions such as atmospheric composition and size of the two planets are almost the same. Why their colors are so different has always puzzled astronomers. They even used data from other telescopes to develop an atmospheric model, noting that Uranus’s “atmospheric flow is slower, leading to the accumulation of haze” and therefore appears “paler” than Neptune.
New research has revealed the true colours of some of our Solar System’s gas giants. Whilst images from Voyager 2 in the 1980s depicted the Uranus and Neptune as green and a rich blue respectively, UK astronomers have revealed their real colours: pic.twitter.com/KmBLQ46rKh
— The Royal Society (@royalsociety) January 5, 2024
Researchers reanalyzed the images taken at the time and found that the problem that had troubled astronomers for decades was just a misunderstanding. It turned out that the colors of the two planets were actually very similar, both blue-green. The team from the University of Oxford pointed out that Voyager 2 only used a single wavelength of light to observe Uranus and Neptune at a time, and the previous images were a composite of three monochromatic observations. Past images of Neptune may have been colorized to show details of Neptune’s atmosphere, which resulted in changes in true color.
Oxford University official website picture
Heymans, Astronomer Royal and Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, explained on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “They did something that I think everyone has done on Instagram at one time or another, which is Adjust the color.” Dr. Massey, deputy director of the Royal Astronomical Society, said that image enhancement is a common processing method in astronomical research because it allows objects to be observed more clearly.
Oxford University official website picture
To get the true colors of Uranus and Neptune, the Oxford team collected data using the Hubble Space Telescope’s Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) and the Very Large Telescope’s (VLT) Multi-Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE). The composite image created by Voyager 2 has been recalibrated. These new images show that both Uranus and Neptune actually appear an icy blue-green color. The discovery resolves years of confusion among astronomers about the color differences between the two planets.
MEMSIC research found that the content of “plastic particles” in bottled water was 100 times higher than expected, with up to 240,000 particles per liter, causing potential health risks.
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Recently, a research report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science pointed out that the amount of plastic particles contained in commercially available bottled water far exceeds previous estimates, being as much as 100 times higher. According to Agence France-Presse, scientists used innovative technology to detect an average of 240,000 plastic particles per liter in bottled water from many popular brands. This data was 10 to 100 times higher than previous estimates, which triggered a potential health concerns and calls for more in-depth research.
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Yan Beizhan, associate professor of geochemistry at Columbia University and a co-author of the study, said in an interview with AFP that if the public is concerned about nanoplastics contained in bottled water, it is important to switch to alternative drinking water sources such as tap water. A reasonable choice. However, he also reminded, “We do not recommend not drinking bottled water when (the body) needs it, because the risk of dehydration may outweigh the potential dangers of exposure to nanoplastic particles.”
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In recent years, the world has paid increasing attention to plastic particles (microplastics). These particles, which break down from larger plastic materials, can now be found across the planet, from polar ice caps to mountain tops, affecting entire ecosystems and even finding their way into everyday drinking water and food. Plastic particles usually refer to plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, while nanoplastic particles are even smaller, less than 1 micron. They are extremely small and can pass through the digestive system and lungs directly into the blood, and even reach organs such as the brain and heart. Affects the fetus via the placenta.
A new study reveals that on average, each liter of bottled water contains around 240,000 nanoplastics. Nanoplastics refer to tiny plastic particles less than 1 micrometer in length, which form when plastic waste breaks down. pic.twitter.com/hZm2fARwv0
— Kristie Leong M.D. (@DrKristieLeong) January 9, 2024
Although early laboratory studies have linked plastic particles to toxic effects such as reproductive abnormalities and stomach problems, current research on their effects on ecosystems and human health remains relatively limited. The research team also tested three major bottled water brands, but did not disclose the names of these brands on the grounds that “all bottled water contains nanoplastic particles, and it may not be fair to list only three brands.” Research results show that each liter of bottled water contains 110,000 to 370,000 plastic particles, of which up to 90% are nanoscale. The most common of these particles is nylon, which may come from the plastic filter used to filter the water, followed by the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) material of the bottle itself, which may be released when the bottle is pressurized. Other types of plastic particles may enter the water when the bottle cap is opened. The research team plans to test tap water next. Preliminary results show that the content of plastic particles in tap water is significantly lower than that in bottled water.
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