sunlit hemisphere is thought to result from the local thickening
For a short period from March to May 2004, a number of large clouds appeared in the Uranian atmosphere, giving it a Neptune-like appearance.[103][107] Observations included record-breaking wind speeds of 229 m/s (824 km/h) and a persistent thunderstorm referred to as "Fourth of July fireworks".[98] On August 23, 2006, researchers at the Space Science Institute (Boulder, CO) and the University of Wisconsin observed a dark spot on Uranus's surface, giving astronomers more insight into Uranus's atmospheric activity.[104] Why this sudden upsurge in activity should be occurring is not fully known, but it appears that Uranus's extreme axial tilt results in extreme seasonal variations in its weather.[49][105] Determining the nature of this seasonal variation is difficult because good data on Uranus's atmosphere have existed for less than 84 years, or one full Uranian year. A number of discoveries have been made. Photometry over the course of half a Uranian year (beginning in the 1950s) has shown regular variation in the brightness in two spectral bands, with maxima occurring at the solstices and minima occurring at the equinoxes.[108] A similar periodic variation, with maxima at the solstices, has been noted in microwave measurements of the deep troposphere begun in the 1960s.[109] Stratospheric temperature measurements beginning in the 1970s also showed maximum values near the 1986 solstice.[77] The majority of this variability is believed to occur owing to changes in the viewing geometry.[102]
There are some reasons to believe that physical seasonal changes are happening in Uranus. While the planet is known to have a bright south polar region, the north pole is fairly dim, which is incompatible with the model of the seasonal change outlined above.[105] During its previous northern solstice in 1944, Uranus displayed elevated levels of brightness, which suggests that the north pole was not always so dim.[108] This information implies that the visible pole brightens some time before the solstice and darkens after the equinox.[105] Detailed analysis of the visible and microwave data revealed that the periodical changes of brightness are not completely symmetrical around the solstices, which also indicates a change in the meridional albedo patterns.[105] Finally in the 1990s, as Uranus moved away from its solstice, Hubble and ground based telescopes revealed that the south polar cap darkened noticeably (except the southern collar, which remained bright),[100] while the northern hemisphere demonstrated increasing activity,[98] such as cloud formations and stronger winds, bolstering expectations that it should brighten soon.[103] This indeed happened in 2007 when the planet passed an equinox: a faint northern polar collar arose, while the southern collar became nearly invisible, although the zonal wind profile remained slightly asymmetric, with northern winds being somewhat slower than southern.[101]
The mechanism of physical changes is still not clear.[105] Near the summer and winter solstices, Uranus's hemispheres lie alternately either in full glare of the Sun's rays or facing deep space. The brightening of the sunlit hemisphere is thought to result from the local thickening of the methane clouds and haze layers located in the troposphere.[100] The bright collar at -45° latitude is also connected with methane clouds.[100] Other changes in the southern polar region can be explained by changes in the lower cloud layers.[100] The variation of the microwave emission from the planet is probably caused by changes in the deep tropospheric circulation, because thick polar clouds and haze may inhibit convection.[110] Now that the spring and autumn equinoxes are arriving on Uranus, the dynamics are changing and convection can occur again
There are some reasons to believe that physical seasonal changes are happening in Uranus. While the planet is known to have a bright south polar region, the north pole is fairly dim, which is incompatible with the model of the seasonal change outlined above.[105] During its previous northern solstice in 1944, Uranus displayed elevated levels of brightness, which suggests that the north pole was not always so dim.[108] This information implies that the visible pole brightens some time before the solstice and darkens after the equinox.[105] Detailed analysis of the visible and microwave data revealed that the periodical changes of brightness are not completely symmetrical around the solstices, which also indicates a change in the meridional albedo patterns.[105] Finally in the 1990s, as Uranus moved away from its solstice, Hubble and ground based telescopes revealed that the south polar cap darkened noticeably (except the southern collar, which remained bright),[100] while the northern hemisphere demonstrated increasing activity,[98] such as cloud formations and stronger winds, bolstering expectations that it should brighten soon.[103] This indeed happened in 2007 when the planet passed an equinox: a faint northern polar collar arose, while the southern collar became nearly invisible, although the zonal wind profile remained slightly asymmetric, with northern winds being somewhat slower than southern.[101]
The mechanism of physical changes is still not clear.[105] Near the summer and winter solstices, Uranus's hemispheres lie alternately either in full glare of the Sun's rays or facing deep space. The brightening of the sunlit hemisphere is thought to result from the local thickening of the methane clouds and haze layers located in the troposphere.[100] The bright collar at -45° latitude is also connected with methane clouds.[100] Other changes in the southern polar region can be explained by changes in the lower cloud layers.[100] The variation of the microwave emission from the planet is probably caused by changes in the deep tropospheric circulation, because thick polar clouds and haze may inhibit convection.[110] Now that the spring and autumn equinoxes are arriving on Uranus, the dynamics are changing and convection can occur again
