Astronomers Capture Spectacular View Of Neptune's Mysterious Dark Spot
Astronomers recently observed the mysterious dark spot on far-off Neptune. According to European Southern Observatory (ESO), this marks the first time a ground-based telescope has managed to observe a dark spot in Neptune's atmosphere.
In 1989, NASA's Voyager 2 flew past Neptune and since then, scientists have been trying to understand the temporary dark spots that appear in Neptune's atmosphere, Inverse reported. Later, Hubble Space Telescope also noted a dark spot in Neptune's atmosphere that was bigger than the Atlantic Ocean.
"Since the first discovery of a dark spot, I¡¯ve always wondered what these short-lived and elusive dark features are," said Patrick Irwin, the study's lead investigator, published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Observing elusive dark spots on Neptune
The observation was made using ESO's Very Large Telescope situated in the Chilean highlands. An instrument onboard the telescope gathered the sunlight that was reflecting off Neptune's cloud to study it.
This instrument is called the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) provided a 3D look at a dark spot on Neptune in "more detail than was possible before," ESO officials said.
Also read:?Why Did Neptune's Clouds Disappear? Scientists Find Surprising Solar Link
Astronomers were able to figure out the height at which this particular spot exists in Neptune's atmosphere, while also gaining clues about why this spot appears dark. "In the process we discovered a rare deep bright cloud type that had never been identified before, even from space," study co-author Michael Wong said in the announcement.
Also read:?Neptune's Faint Rings Captured In Detail For First Time By James Webb Telescope
The bright spot found near the larger one suggests that Neptune's atmosphere is dynamic and these spots probably appear due to air particles that collected in a layer below what's visible to us. This is where "ices and hazes mix in Neptune¡¯s atmosphere," ESO officials stated.??The bright spot, ESO stated, is rare and depicts "a completely new type of feature."
What do you think about this interesting find? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.?
