Why do Uranus and Neptune have blue methane clouds?

These methane clouds are made up of methane gas — the same stuff that fuels the fires of the gas ‘drills’ on the earth’s surface, and that helps make human flatulence that much more smelly. They are extremely deep and tend to be very dark, especially in the case of Neptune, where they absorb more than 65 percent of the visible light that reaches the planet.

Why is the methane clouds of Uranus and Neptune blue

The blue color of Neptune’s atmosphere is caused by methane and, to a lesser extent, hydrogen. Those two gases are colorless in the gas phase, however, when they form a cloud, they become blue due to the way sunlight scatters through the cloud.

Why do the methane clouds of Uranus and Neptune have a blue tint?

Methane is colorless in its gas form, making it harder for a telescope to detect. However, when it’s trapped in a cloud and exposed to sunlight, it can absorb red and blue light, leaving an afterimage of blue in the cloud. This is what gives the gas clouds of Uranus and Neptune their distinctive blue color.

Why do the methane clouds of Neptune have a blue tint?

Neptune’s atmosphere is made up of several distinct layers, with a deep cloud deck of ammonia ice floating between the deeper, hotter layers of hydrogen and helium gas. Most of Neptune’s cloud deck is made up of frozen methane, with smaller amounts of frozen ammonia and carbon dioxide. This thick, blue methane cloud deck helps to reflect the Sun’s energy back into space, so that Neptune remains relatively cool to sustain this atmosphere.

Why do Uranus and Neptune have blue methane clouds?