Hubble image archive
Neptune
In observations taken on September 7th, researchers found that Neptune’s dark spot, which recently was found to have reversed course from moving toward the equator, is still visible in this image, along with a darkened northern hemisphere. There is also a notable dark, elongated...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2021
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2021-047-01fm0qhcqc5xt0exzcsb9pe2pz
In observations taken on September 7th, researchers found that Neptune’s dark spot, which recently was found to have reversed course from moving toward the equator, is still visible in this image, along with a darkened northern hemisphere. There is also a notable dark, elongated circle encompassing Neptune’s south pole. Neptune's and Uranus’ blue color is a result of the absorption of red light by the planets’ methane-rich atmosphere, combined with the same Rayleigh-scattering process that makes the Earth's sky blue. In 2021, there are few bright clouds on Neptune, and its distinct blue with a singular large dark spot is very reminiscent of what Voyager 2 saw in 1989.
Credits
Science
NASA, ESA, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), Michael H. Wong (UC Berkeley)
Image Processing
Alyssa Pagan (STScI)
Image Details
| About The Object | |
|---|---|
| Object Name | Neptune |
| Object Description | Gas Giant |
| About The Data | |
| Data Description | The HST observations include those from program (A. Simon) |
| Instrument | UVIS/WFC3 |
| Exposure Dates | 7 September 2021 |
| Filters | F467M, F547M, F657N |
| About The Image | |
| Color Info | These images are a composite of separate exposures acquired by the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. Several filters were used to sample medium wavelength ranges. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to each monochromatic (grayscale) image associated with an individual filter. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F467M, Green: F547M, Red: F657N |
More Images From This Period
Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
View on NASA.gov