 |
 |
||
 |
|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
 |
Space Topics: NeptuneVoyager Images of Neptune
This photograph of Neptune was reconstructed from two images
taken by Voyager 2's narrow-angle camera. At the north (center) is the Great
Dark Spot, accompanied by bright, white clouds that undergo rapid changes in
appearance. To the south of the Great Dark Spot is the bright feature that
Voyager scientists nicknamed the "Scooter." Still farther south is
the feature called "Dark Spot 2," which has a bright core. Each feature
moves eastward at a different velocity, so it is only occasionally that they
appear close to each other.
This image of Neptune was taken by Voyager 2's wide-angle
camera when the spacecraft was 590,000 kilometers (370,000 miles) from the
planet. The image has been processed to obtain true color balance. Additional
processing was used to suppress surface brightness of the white clouds.
As Voyager 2 receded from Neptune, it observed the thin
rings in glancing sunlight (at a phase angle of 135°). The two main rings
orbit at about 53,000 km (33,000 miles) and 63,000 km (39,000 miles) from Neptune.
Neptune's outermost ring contains three bright arcs.
This picture of Neptune was produced from the last whole planet images taken
through the green and orange filters on Voyager 2's narrow angle camera. The
images were taken at a range of about 7 million kilometers (4.4 million miles)
from the planet, 4 days and 20 hours before closest approach. The picture shows
the Great Dark Spot and its companion bright smudge. Visible on the west limb
are the fast-moving, bright feature called Scooter, and the little dark spot.
This global color mosaic of Triton was taken in 1989 by
Voyager 2 during its flyby of the Neptune system. Color was synthesized by
combining high-resolution images taken through various color filters to create
this color version.
One of two new ring arcs, or partial rings, discovered by
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, is faintly visible here just outside the orbit
of the Neptunian moon 1989 N4 (Galatea), also discovered by Voyager 2 in August
1989. The 155-second exposure taken by Voyager's narrow-angle camera shows
the glare of an overexposed Neptune to the right of the moon and ring arc.
The two bright streaks below the moon and ring arc are stars. Scientists had
long suspected the existence of such an irregular ring system around Neptune.
Voyager's photographs of the ring arcs were the first photographic evidence
that such a ring system exists.
Voyager 2 captured this post-encounter view of Neptune's south pole on August 25, 1989 as the spacecraft sped away from the planet.
This image was returned by the Voyager 2 spacecraft on July 3, 1989, when it was 76 million kilometers (47 million miles) from Neptune. The planet and its largest satellite, Triton, are captured in the field of view of Voyager's narrow-angle camera through violet, clear and orange filters. Triton appears in the lower right corner at about 5 o'clock relative to Neptune. |
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||
[ what is this? ]