Recovery and characterization of Neptune's near-polar stratospheric hot spot

► Images of Neptune's stratospheric emission in 2006 detected a near-polar compact hot spot that was not definitely detected in 2003 or 2005 observations. ► Spot was re‐detected in 2007 and 2008. ► Spot phenomenon is likely to be ephemeral, because it was detected in only 3 out of 13 observing epochs. ► Spot is associated with the rotation rate of the neutral atmosphere. ► Responsible mechanism is likely to be the manifestaion of a planetary wave that is dynamically confined to a near‐polar region with high prograde winds.