True blue: Neptune only slightly deeper colour than Uranus, say Oxford scientists

Uranus (left) and Neptune (right) are actually quite similar colours, as observed after the individual filter images were reprocessed, the research claims. Photograph: Patrick Irwin

It’s a colour beloved by interior designers, but it seems duck-egg blue is also splashed across our solar system, with research suggesting it is the true colour of both Uranus and Neptune.

The new work puts paid to the popular belief that Neptune has a deep blue hue, suggesting instead both planets are a similar colour – with Neptune only slightly more blue than Uranus.