From the June 2010 issue

Stephen James O’Meara’s Secret Sky: Uranus: The Alice in Wonderland world

August 2010: Have amateur astronomers spotted details on the seventh planet, or has it all been an illusion?
By | Published: June 28, 2010 | Last updated on May 18, 2023

Stephen James O'Meara

Through a telescope, Uranus usually appears as a tiny green disk, somewhat flattened, and largely devoid of detail. It’s never been a popular target for amateur study. But some tenacious observers over the past century and beyond have occasionally glimpsed subtle bands, zones, and bright and dark spots on the planet.