sequence of Hubble Space Telescope images (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

sequence of Hubble Space Telescope images

Caption

This sequence of Hubble Space Telescope images chronicles the waxing and waning of the amount of cloud cover on Neptune. This nearly-30-year-long set of observations shows that the number of clouds grows increasingly following a peak in the solar cycle – where the Sun's level of activity rhythmically rises and falls over an 11-year period. The Sun's level of ultraviolet radiation is plotted in the vertical axis. The 11-year cycle is plotted along the bottom from 1994 to 2022. The Hubble observations along the top, clearly show a correlation between cloud abundance and solar peak of activity. The chemical changes are caused by photochemistry, which happens high in Neptune's upper atmosphere and takes time to form clouds.

Credit

Credits: NASA, ESA, LASP, Erandi Chavez (UC Berkeley), Imke de Pater (UC Berkeley)

Usage Restrictions

No restrictions.

License

Public Domain

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