Overview

• The OPAL (Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy) program has been capturing annual high-resolution images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune since 2014 to study their atmospheric changes and weather patterns.
• Hubble's data has revealed significant findings, such as Jupiter's shrinking Great Red Spot and seasonal changes in Saturn's atmospheric colors and ring 'spokes.'
• Uranus's extreme tilt has been linked to dramatic seasonal variations, including a brightening polar cap and methane-based storms as the planet nears its northern summer solstice in 2028.
• Hubble tracked the life cycles of Neptune's transitory dark storms and uncovered a surprising connection between the planet's cloud activity and the Sun's 11-year solar cycle.
• The decade-long OPAL program has produced a vast archive of data, supporting over 60 scientific publications and advancing our understanding of gas giants and their relevance to exoplanetary studies.