Not Because Of Water, Why Is Uranus Greenish Blue?

Planet Uranus (photo: Doc. NASA)

JAKARTA Uranus is known as the coldest planet in the solar system with an atmospheric temperature of minus 224 degrees Celsius. As the second farthest planet from the sun, Uranus has an ice-filled layer.

This ice sheet consists of several elements, including water. Most of Uranus's mass consists of water in solid or liquid form. Although believed to have water, the color of the planet Uranus is very different from the color of the water on Earth.

If you look at the images captured by NASA, Uranus is blue and green, not dark blue. Even though there is a blue element, Uranus' blue color is not caused by water, but because of methane substances.

Reporting from How to Geek, Methana absorbs more red light than green or blue. The substance also absorbs infrared light so that Uranus becomes a planet with very strong greenhouse gases.

This red absorption affects the color reflected by Uranus. The light on the planet can only reflect the green and blue color so that it forms a characteristic greenish blue color.

The presence of methane may be a bit confusing because some scientists say that there are no microorganisms in Uranus. In fact, methane on Earth is produced by living things such as cow's digestion, termites, and microorganisms.

Recent research results show that methane in Uranus is formed from a combination of simple molecules such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen gas. These two molecules may have joined early in the formation of the solar system, a process known as methane.

Metana can also form when carbon takes hydrogen atoms. The process of apu also that occurs in Uranus causes methane to survive as icedust. In the end, this substance settles on the planet Uranus.

Until now, scientists are still researching how methane gas can settle in Uranus without life. NASA is also still observing data collected by Voyager 1 and 2 for decades in space.