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Aug 24, 2023

Mysterious Dark Vortex on Neptune Seen From Earth For First Time

Posted by in category: space

O.o!!


Ever since Voyager 2 flew past Neptune in 1989, the giant dark smudges that appear in the distant planet’s atmosphere have presented a strange puzzle.

Now, for the first time, we have observed one with Earth-based instruments in unprecedented resolution, helping scientists figure out why those patches appear so dark and why they are so different from spots on other planets.

“Since the first discovery of a dark spot, I’ve always wondered what these short-lived and elusive dark features are,” says astronomer Patrick Irwin of the University of Oxford in the UK.

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