Voyager looks at Neptune - and can see.Voyager looks at Neptune -- and can see When Voyager 2 photographed Uranus three years ago, that planet appeared so bland and haze-wrapped that it revealed almost no details even in closeups (SN: 2/1/86, p.72). Last November, however, scientists in charge of Voyager 2's camera applauded when photos taken through a telescope telescope, traditionally, a system of lenses, mirrors, or both, used to gather light from a distant object and form an image of it. Traditional optical telescopes, which are the subject of this article, also are used to magnify objects on earth and in astronomy; on Earth showed at least fuzzy fuzz·y adj. fuzz·i·er, fuzz·i·est 1. Covered with fuzz. 2. Of or resembling fuzz. 3. Not clear; indistinct: a fuzzy recollection of past events. 4. features in the atmosphere of Neptune (SN: 11/12/88, p.310), which Voyager will pass on Aug. 24. Now the spacecraft spacecraft Vehicle designed to operate, with or without a crew, in a controlled flight pattern above Earth's lower atmosphere. Since streamlining is not needed in the high vacuum of this environment, a spacecraft's shape is designed according to its mission (see has taken a look for itself. Voyager 2's first color pictures of Neptune were made from images obtained Jan. 23. The camera does not take pictures in "true color (1) Specifically, refers to 16,777,216 colors (24-bit color). See high color. (2) Generically, refers to photo-realistic color (typically requires 24-bit color as a minimum). " but combines images made through a sequence of filters, in this case orange, violet violet, common name for some members of the Violaceae, a family of chiefly perennial herbs (and sometimes shrubs, small trees, or climbers) found on all continents. and clear. Neptune's "natural" color is more like a pale blue-green. The pictures were taken about two hours apart, during which time the hurtling spacecraft got about 75,000 miles closer to Neptune. The smallest details visible in these photos are about 3,600 miles across, with their change in position consistent with a day on Neptune lasting 17 to 18 hours. |
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