The top row shows images of Uranus, left, and Neptune, right, from Voyager 2 in 1986 and 1989; the bottom row shows a reprocessing of the individual filter images in the study to determine the best estimate of the planets' true colours.
Exoplanets and planetary physics
Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics
Neptune is fondly known for being a rich blue and Uranus green – but a new study has revealed that the two ice giants are actually far closer in colour than typically thought. The research, led by Professor Patrick Irwin from the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics, has been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.