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