Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Credit: NASA
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched in 1977, recently shared a striking image of Neptune's south pole. This mission is renowned for being the only spacecraft to have explored Uranus and Neptune.
The photograph showcases Neptune's southern pole, described by NASA as curving along the bottom of the image, resembling a smile. The planet transitions from blue to a pale yellow hue from left to right along the curve.
According to NASA's Instagram post, Neptune's south pole is approximately 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) warmer than other parts of the planet.
Voyager 2's extensive journey through the outer solar system included visits to all four gas giant planets, capturing unprecedented images and discoveries of their moons.
Voyager 2 entered interstellar space in November 2018, joining its predecessor Voyager 1, which achieved this milestone in August 2012. Both spacecraft are now exploring the space beyond our Sun's influence.
Currently engaged in the Voyager Interstellar Mission, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 continue to venture into uncharted territory, exploring the outermost reaches of the solar system.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Recently, astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile observed a mysterious dark spot in Neptune's atmosphere for the first time from Earth.
The VLT also detected an unexpected smaller bright spot adjacent to the dark spot, marking a significant first in telescopic observations of Neptune's atmospheric phenomena.
These findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy, contributing to ongoing research and understanding of Neptune's atmospheric dynamics and features.