BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Normally, the smooth blue surface of Uranus denotes a soothing, deep-space serenity. Being the seventh planet from the sun, its temperatures are cool -- it's a so-called ice giant -- and its main chemical components (hydrogen, helium, water, ammonia and methane) all play nicely with each other.
But recently, astronomers have noticed several high-powered storms swirling across the planet's surface, befuddling onlookers accustomed to an uninterrupted sphere of pale, greenish-blue. According to imagery collected by Hawaii's Keck Observatory, as well as the Hubble Telescope, Uranus currently features eight distinct storms. One of them is the largest astronomers have ever seen on the planet.