Hubble image archive
Neptune Cloud Cover Over Three Decades
This sequence of Hubble Space Telescope images chronicles the waxing and waning of the amount of cloud cover on Neptune. This long set of observations shows that the number of clouds grows increasingly following a peak in the solar cycle – where the Sun's level of activity rhythm...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2023
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2023-019-01h7dm3h4wp47z3nstjy13wvsw
This sequence of Hubble Space Telescope images chronicles the waxing and waning of the amount of cloud cover on Neptune. This long set of observations shows that the number of clouds grows increasingly following a peak in the solar cycle – where the Sun's level of activity rhythmically rises and falls over an 11-year period.
The chemical changes are caused by photochemistry, which happens high in Neptune's upper atmosphere and takes time to form clouds.
In 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft provided the first close-up images of linear, bright clouds, reminiscent of cirrus clouds on Earth, seen high in Neptune's atmosphere. They form above most of the methane in Neptune's atmosphere and reflect all colors of sunlight, which makes them white. Hubble picks up where the brief Voyager flyby left off by continually keeping an eye on the planet yearly.
Credits
Science
NASA, ESA, Erandi Chavez (UC Berkeley), Imke de Pater (UC Berkeley)
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Neptune |
| Object Description | Planet |
| Distance | The semi-major axis of Neptune's orbit about the Sun is 30.06 astronomical units (roughly 2.8 billion miles or 4.5 billion kilometers). |
| Dimensions | Neptune has a diameter of roughly 30,800 miles (49,600 kilometers) at the equator. |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from several programs throughout three decades of observations including: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
| Instrument | WFPC2 and WFC3 |
| Exposure Dates | Several observations spanning a time frame from 1994 to 2022 |
| Filters | F845M, F850LP, F953N, CH4p15 |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images were acquired by the WFPC2 and WFC3 instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning a blue hue to a monochromatic (grayscale) image. |
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Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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