Images from the Hubble telescope show how different Jupiter and Uranus seem.

The weather is slowly changing on Jupiter and Uranus, according to our galaxy's own interplanetary meteorologist. The NASA Hubble Space Telescope captured Earth's outer planetary neighbors in images from 2014 to 2022, documenting changes in the planets' weather and seasons over time. With Jupiter at about 484 million miles (779 million kilometers) away from our sun and Uranus about 1.8 billion miles (3 billion kilometers) away, each takes longer to orbit the sun, which means a slower pace of seasons. However, the gas giants still experience extreme weather, especially for Uranus, with its peculiar, tilted axis that causes one hemisphere to be completely without sunlight for about 42 years at a time. In one of the first images of the Hubble Space Telescope's Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy, or OPAL, Program, the north polar cap of Uranus appears to be brighter compared with its appearance in a November 2014 image.

A NASA research team is tracking the size and brightness of the North polar cap and reporting that the haze appears to get brighter each year. Dr. Amy Simon, the senior scientist for Planetary Atmospheres Research at NASA, is trying to build up this database so we can understand the processes going on in these atmospheres. The OPAL project aims to obtain observations of the outer planets to better understand their atmospheric dynamics and evolution. In 2007, scientists found that neither pole was bright during the planet's equinox in 2007. In 2028, when the northern summer solstice approaches, NASA scientists predict the cap will grow even brighter and give the Hubble a clear view as Uranus' north pole will be aimed directly toward Earth.

The Great Red Spot storm system in Jupiter is also in the spotlight, as it stands out next to one of Jupiter's moons, Ganymede. This Hubble image shows the Great Red Spot on Jupiter, which is big enough to swallow Earth. Scientists have observed the spot shrinking over the years and reported it to be at the smallest size it has ever been, according to records. In the past decade, the storms have increased, with a string of storms visible in both images during November 2022 and January 2023. If the storms get close enough to one another, they could merge to form a massive storm that is even bigger than the current Great Red Spot. With Hubble, scientists are able to closely monitor the ever-changing atmospheres of these outer planets, keeping an unblinking eye on a kaleidoscope of complex activities over time.