On the lefthand side of this display case from the Museum's exhibition Exploring the Planets is a letter from Jim Elliot to the Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams (CBAT) reporting the discovery of rings around the planet Uranus. Elliot was aboard the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. On the righthand side is a graph of light from the star SAO 158687 based on data recorded on board the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The light intensity dips where the rings of Uranus passed in front of the star. 

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NASM2023-02167

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Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum

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