The surface of the seventh planet from the sun is normally pretty calm — which is why amateur and professional astronomers alike were thrilled to see storms brewing on Uranus' face earlier this year. A team at the University of California, Berkeley, noticed eight large storms on the planet on August 5 and 6, one of which was the brightest storm ever seen on Uranus.
"The weather on Uranus is incredibly active," said astronomer and UC Berkeley professor Imke de Pater in a statement released by the university Wednesday. Co-investigator Heidi Hammel, from the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, said "why we see these incredible storms now is beyond anybody's guess."
Uranus was due for severe weather back in 2007 because of an equinox that occurs there once every 42 years, Hammel noted in the statement. But these recent storms were unexpected, and lit up the planet in a departure from its usual status in the sky: "boring blue dot."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The activity was visible even for amateur astronomers. Frenchman Marc Delcroix was using the famed Pic du Midi telescope when he photographed the activity. "Getting details on Mars, Jupiter, or Saturn is now routine, but seeing detail on Uranus… is the new frontier," Delcroix said. Read more on Uranus' strange weather here.
-
Political cartoons for October 18Cartoons Saturday's editorial cartoons include conversion therapy, Russ Vought, and more
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on ChicagoTalking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Sudoku medium: October 18, 2025The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversalSpeed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
China vows first emissions cut, sidelining USSpeed Read The US, the world’s No. 2 emitter, did not attend the New York summit
-
At least 800 dead in Afghanistan earthquakespeed read A magnitude 6.0 earthquake hit a mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
