Why do they differ so much, then? Our solar system’s planets are a true rainbow of colors. However, why do they all have such distinct colors, and what causes them to take on all of these colors?
The solar system’s planets have diverse physical characteristics. However, what makes these worlds so dissimilar?
It begins at the outset
It turns out that a disk containing gas and dust called a solar nebula is where stars & their planets originate simultaneously. Our newborn star ingested the majority of the gas, which was mostly hydrogen and helium. This was not surprising given that the Sun makes up approximately 99.8 and 99.9 % of the solar system’s mass.
Simultaneously, particles included into the nebula repeatedly clashed, ultimately accumulating into planetesimals and subsequently protoplanets. Some of the hydrogen and helium from the nebula was able to be drawn in by Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, leading them to grow to very huge sizes.
As one got nearer to the Sun, everything with low melting points evaporated and just rocks were left. For millions of years, sulfur, iron, nickel, aluminum, and other metallic compounds circled the newborn Sun, colliding along the way to finally form the inner planets. However, these immature planets could not draw in as much gas as their more massive siblings. It’s unlikely that anything they were able to get in would have lasted. Rather, the atmospheres we observe today were formed by liquids and gases that were collected via collisions and volcanic outgassing on the core planets.
All of this means that our vibrant planetary panoply is a result of the early components of every planet. However, what precisely concerning each of the planets in our solar system gives it its distinct appearance?
Let’s discuss the colors of planets in a very different and interesting way.
1. Home
Guess, who?
Yes it was a cup of tea, the answer is Earth. We have been taking high, orbital, and space-based photos for decades, so we know the hue of Earth very well. The reason for Earth’s appearance as a planet that is terrestrial because of its thick nitrogen-oxygen surroundings is the planet’s atmosphere and seas, which scatter light more than other hues due to blue light’s shorter wavelength. Water also has the property of absorbing red light, giving space a blue hue.
This causes our globe to resemble a “Blue Marble,” with white clouds enveloping the majority of the sky. Depending on which direction one is looking, the surface characteristics can appear green in areas with enough vegetation and forests, yellow and brown in desert and hilly regions, or white once more in areas with clouds and significant ice formations.
2. A cute tiny
Guess who?
It’s none other than Mercury. Mercury has very little atmosphere and a significant iron concentration. Peering through a telescope, it seems mottled and dark gray. We learned that it has been coated in a thick coating of dusty and igneous material silicate rocks from NASA’s now-retired MESSENGER spacecraft. There are several ideas as to why it is primarily iron and why it is so little. One suggests that Mercury was originally much larger. It would then have had an unlucky run-in with a fussy planetesimal in the turbulent early solar system, which stripped away most of its initially formed crust and atmosphere.
3. I am earth’s twin
Haha! Venus is here. Venus photos in true color aren’t as fascinating or educational as the typical false-color composites you see. These combine several light wavelengths to aid in the visualization of surface characteristics, atmospheric activity, and content. But Venus seems to be a pearly white planet with a little yellowish hue when viewed through an optical telescope. The primary component of Venus’ atmosphere is carbon dioxide.
True-color images of Venus aren’t nearly as interesting or instructive as the usual false-color blends you see. These facilitate the viewing of surface properties, climatic activity, and content by combining many light wavelengths. But when seen via an optical telescope, Venus appears to represent a pearly white in color with a slight yellowish color. Carbon dioxide is the main element of Venus’ atmosphere. Because sulfuric acid is a highly reflecting material, the clouds typically give the appearance of being white. Some speculate that the yellow may have come from an “unknown UV absorber.” Thick clouds entirely block out Venus’s surface, however one color image of the planet’s surface was returned in 1982 by a Soviet lander. Researchers also aim to learn even more about our sister planet Venus thanks to three planned missions, among which will venture to its scorching surface.
4. Red but not blood
Of course! It is Mars. Mars appears reddish-brown due to the high iron concentration of the dust that covers the planet. Furthermore, the particulates have oxidized, or rusted, much like an old bicycle left outside. However, compared to what is frequently shown in the media, the planet is not quite as red. A lot of photographs have been adjusted for contrast to make them look more dramatic and to aid in the investigation of minute topological and atmospheric differences by scientists. Mars’ color might also differ somewhat. Mars has an abundance of dust, which causes worldwide dust storms that cause the planet’s color to shift from a faint red to a light yellow or orange.
5. Giant among giants
Like the Sun, Jupiter is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. During formation, it did not gather enough mass to initiate fusion and turn into a star. However, Jupiter is a massive gas ball; more than 1,300 Earths might fit inside the planet. Huge storms like the “Great Red Spot” are not surprising on a planet with such a large atmosphere and weather pattern so similar to Earth’s. It’s a bit unresolved that why red. The widely recognized theory states that certain trace chemicals found in the clouds, including acetylene and ammonia, receive greater levels of radiation from the Sun because the storm is higher up in the atmosphere than the surrounding air. The storm’s characteristic color is caused by this radiation. Regarding Jupiter’s distinctive brown and beige belts, these are caused by a mixture of trace elements, helium, and hydrogen.
6. I’m engaged, lol
Haha! You all know Saturn has unique rings. If you ask any random person to name their favorite planet, they’ll probably say Saturn because of its enormous, brilliant rings. Saturn is yellowish brown in color. Because of its identical chemical makeup of 90% hydrogen and 10% helium, with trace amounts of other elements like water ice and methane, the world itself has a color similar to Jupiter’s. It is actually rather active behind the thick layer of ice, as revealed by infrared spectroscopy. However, because the storms are more deep, they are less apparent to optical telescopes. Occasionally, these storms reach the surface, leaving brilliant white patches on the otherwise serene planet.
7. A tilted Giant
Umm, okay one more hint
Brother of Neptune
Yes, you are right it’s Uranus. Uranus is a gas/ice giant primarily made up of molecules of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of hydrocarbons, ammonia, water, and hydrogen sulfide. Because of its substantial absorption bands found in the visual and near-infrared spectra, methane is responsible for Uranus’ aquamarine or blue green or cyan coloration. The Voyager 2 interplanetary spacecraft performed a flyby of Uranus in 1986, and those images are the only detailed ones we currently have of the planet. On January 24, 1986, the probe got as near as it could to the tops of the clouds 81,500 kilometers before continuing on its way to Neptune.
8. A blue giant
Neptune is here. Neptune, the eighth planet from the Sun, is an icy giant that is dark, frigid, and buffeted by winds that can reach supersonic speeds. Thirty times farther away from the Sun compared to Earth, Neptune is the very first planet in our Solar System to be predicted mathematically prior it was discovered and was undetectable to the unaided eye and is faintly blue in color. 2011 was the completion of Neptune’s first 165-year orbit since its discovery in 1846. Neptune is comparable to its cousin Uranus in many physical aspects, including color. With reported winds of 2.4141 km/h, it is regarded as the windiest planet. It is known to happen in its atmosphere during intense storms, and the planet possesses a massive storm region similar to Jupiter.
9. Last but not the least, guess this lonely heart
Never forget Pluto! Pluto is presently categorized as a dwarf planet since despite being massive enough to have spherical orbits, it is not large enough to dominate its orbit and engulf the region around it.
This planet is believed to have a tiny rocky core and to be largely made of ice. We had our first close-up view of the New Horizons spacecraft in 2015. Scientists have concluded from further examination of the picture that it had coverage in ices composed of carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and methane together with some organic stuff, resulting in the surface a ruddy brown color.
