Exploring Uranus at New Angles: Insights from New Horizons' Observations

Samantha Hasler and colleagues analyzed unique high-phase-angle observations of Uranus captured by New Horizons in 2010, 2019, and 2023, revealing insights into Uranus’s energy balance and atmospheric characteristics. They found that Uranus’s brightness varies minimally across its surface and appears darker in certain filters than models predicted, suggesting limited large-scale atmospheric features. These observations, complemented by Hubble and amateur astronomer data, provide valuable benchmarks for future studies of ice giants, including distant exoplanets observed at similar angles.