Scientists Try To Explain Why Neptune’s Clouds Started to Disappear

Amaze Lab

As far as we know Neptune is the furthest full-size planet in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun some 2.69 billion miles away. But that doesn’t mean astronomers aren’t keeping a close eye on it and recently they noticed the planet looking a little different.

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00:00As far as we know, Neptune is the furthest full-size planet in our solar system,

00:08orbiting the sun some 2.69 billion miles away.

00:11But that doesn't mean astronomers aren't keeping a close eye on it,

00:14and recently they noticed the planet looking a little different.

00:17Neptune was long known to have white streaks of clouds circling it.

00:20However, these images, which you can see have been captured over a 26-year period,

00:24reveal they've disappeared.

00:25The last image captured by the Hubble Space Telescope was taken in 2020,

00:29but other observatories have continued to monitor Neptune,

00:32finding that while some of the clouds have returned,

00:34they haven't come back to their former levels,

00:36and they seem to be gathering at the planet's south pole rather than near its equatorial areas.

00:40However, scientists are learning more and more about the planet via its changes in cloud cover.

00:44Experts say that Neptune has an 11-year cycle with regards to its clouds,

00:48one they say lines up with the sun's 11-year solar cycle.

00:51Two years after the sun's activity ramps up nearing its solar maximum,

00:54Neptune's clouds also seem to become more apparent,

00:57with the researchers saying this could mean that the sun's UV rays,

01:00when they are at their peak power,

01:02may cause a photochemical reaction producing clouds on Neptune.

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