Uranus
Right ascension: 16:11:13.5 Magnitude: 5.9
Declination: -21:00:46
Image: SWP 20880
Date: 1983 Sep 1 22:55 UT
Exposure duration: 120 min
Uranus' rotational axis is nearly in the plane of its orbit, so one
hemisphere is bathed in sunlight while the other remains dark for about twenty
years at a time, producing unusual weather patterns in the atmosphere. The
peculiar tilt of its axis may have resulted from the collision or near-miss
with a massive object.
Last updated: 08 April 1998
Obtained from IUE project at Goddard Space Flight Center