Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1774093 | Icarus | 2010 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Keck near-infrared images of Neptune from UT 26 July 2007 show that the cloud feature typically observed within a few degrees of Neptune's south pole had split into a pair of bright spots. A careful determination of disk center places the cloud centers at â89.07 ± 0.06° and â87.84 ± 0.06° planetocentric latitude. If modeled as optically thick, perfectly reflecting layers, we find the pair of features to be constrained to the troposphere, at pressures greater than 0.4 bar. By UT 28 July 2007, images with comparable resolution reveal only a single feature near the south pole. The changing morphology of these circumpolar clouds suggests they may form in a region of strong convection surrounding a neptunian south polar vortex.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Space and Planetary Science
Authors
S.H. Luszcz-Cook, I. de Pater, M. Ádámkovics, H.B. Hammel,