Clearer circulation on Uranus

Discoveries made with the Voyager 2 flyby concerning the atmospheric circulation on Uranus are discussed. The lack of horizontal thermal constrast with latitude is explained in terms of a circulation similar to the Hadley circulation on earth. Uranus appears to be unique in the solar system in possessing a retrograde equatorial jet near the top of its atmosphere. The pattern of zonal winds on Uranus, as on Jupiter and Saturn, decays with height above the visible clouds. The solar-driven component is the dominant energy source driving the upper-level circulation of the atmosphere of Uranus. The entire circulation pattern of Uranus seems to be displaced along the rotation axis toward the (dark) north pole.