As far as we know Neptune is the furthest full-size planet in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun some 2.69 billion miles away. But that doesn’t mean astronomers aren’t keeping a close eye on it and recently they noticed the planet looking a little different.
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00:00 As far as we know, Neptune is the furthest full-sized planet in our solar system, orbiting
00:08 the sun some 2.69 billion miles away.
00:11 But that doesn't mean astronomers aren't keeping a close eye on it, and recently they
00:14 noticed the planet looking a little different.
00:16 Neptune was long known to have white streaks of clouds circling it.
00:19 However, these images, which you can see have been captured over a 26-year period, reveal
00:23 they've disappeared.
00:24 The last image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope was taken in 2020, but other observatories
00:29 have continued to monitor Neptune, finding that while some of the clouds have returned,
00:34 they haven't come back to their former levels, and they seem to be gathering at the planet's
00:37 south pole rather than near its equatorial areas.
00:40 However, scientists are learning more and more about the planet via its changes in cloud
00:43 cover.
00:44 Experts say that Neptune has an 11-year cycle with regards to its clouds, one they say lines
00:49 up with the sun's 11-year solar cycle.
00:51 Two years after the sun's activity ramps up nearing its solar maximum, Neptune's clouds
00:55 also seem to become more apparent, with the researchers saying this could mean that the
00:59 sun's UV rays, when they are at their peak power, may cause a photochemical reaction
01:03 producing clouds on Neptune.
01:06 -END-
01:07 Hubblecast is produced by ESA/Hubble at the European Southern Observatory in Germany.
01:08 The Hubble mission is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European
01:09 Space Agency.
01:09 (upbeat music)