A mysterious bright cloud on Neptune is detected for the first time from Earth

Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have detected a large dark spot in Neptune’s atmosphere, right next to a smaller, mysterious bright spot, and their research could help better understand the nature of this spot. freak.

The scientists, led by Patrick Irwin, from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom), used data collected by the VLT telescope (‘Very Large Telescope’, in Spanish) to rule out the possibility that the dark spots are the product of a “clearing.” » in the clouds, according to a statement from the ESO.

The researchers managed to divide the sunlight reflected from Neptune and the spot into its component colors or wavelengths. In this way they obtained a 3D spectrum, which allowed them to study the stain in more detail.

“I am absolutely delighted to have been able to not only detect a dark spot from Earth for the first time, but also record a reflection spectrum of such a characteristic for the first time,” Irwin said. “I’ve always wondered what these ephemeral and elusive dark elements are,” he added.

The latest observations indicate that the phenomenon is probably the result of the darkening of air particles in a layer below the main visible haze blanket, as ice and fog mix in the planet’s atmosphere.

The spectrum also provided information about the chemical composition of the different layers of the atmosphere, giving the team clues as to why the spot appeared dark.

As for the bright spot, study co-author Michael Wong said it is a “rare deep” type of cloud that has never been detected before, not even from space. The VLT data showed that the phenomenon is located at the same level as the main dark spot. This is a completely new feature compared to the small “companion” clouds of high-altitude methane ice observed previously, the astronomers noted.

It is the first time that a dark spot on Neptune has been observed with a telescope based on Earth.

«This is an astonishing increase in humanity’s ability to observe the cosmos. At first, we could only detect these spots by sending a spacecraft there, like [la sonda] Voyager [de la NASA]. Then we acquire the ability to distinguish them from a distance with [el telescopio] Hubble [de la NASA y la ESA]. Finally, technology has advanced to be able to do it from Earth,” Wong said. With RT

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