Hubble Has Spotted A Mysterious 'Dark Vortex' On Neptune
- 8 years ago
For nearly a year, both amateur and professional astronomers have suspected the presence of a new dark vortex on Neptune, and NASA recently confirmed that is, indeed, the case.
For nearly a year, both amateur and professional astronomers have suspected the presence of a new dark vortex on Neptune, and NASA recently confirmed that is, indeed, the case.
Images gathered via the Hubble Space Telescope on May 16 show evidence of the feature, the first of its kind to be observed in this century.
Dark vortices, which are massive and mobile high-pressure systems, typically travel with bright clouds comprised of methane crystals.
Those are often early indicators that a vortex is present, and, in this case, were first spotted in July of 2015.
The dark vortex itself became visible in September.
According to a press release issued by NASA, "Planetary astronomers hope to better understand how dark vortices originate, what controls their drifts and oscillations, how they interact with the environment, and how they eventually dissipate."
For nearly a year, both amateur and professional astronomers have suspected the presence of a new dark vortex on Neptune, and NASA recently confirmed that is, indeed, the case.
Images gathered via the Hubble Space Telescope on May 16 show evidence of the feature, the first of its kind to be observed in this century.
Dark vortices, which are massive and mobile high-pressure systems, typically travel with bright clouds comprised of methane crystals.
Those are often early indicators that a vortex is present, and, in this case, were first spotted in July of 2015.
The dark vortex itself became visible in September.
According to a press release issued by NASA, "Planetary astronomers hope to better understand how dark vortices originate, what controls their drifts and oscillations, how they interact with the environment, and how they eventually dissipate."