The lighter intonations of blue feel soothing. We can all sense it. They’re the toned-down cousins of the more-in-the-spotlight blue shades such as navy, cobalt, azure, sapphire, and cerulean ...

Uranus and Neptune are different shades of blue, and we may finally know why. In visible-light images, Uranus appears a pale blue, while Neptune is a deeper, cobalt hue.

Besides the different shades of blue, both worlds have much in common. ... For example, methane is present in both atmospheres and absorbs the red color from sunlight, reflecting blue light.