Unexpected Atmospheric Temperature Changes Detected on Neptune

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Observed Changes in Neptune's Thermal-Infrared Brightness

Observed changes in Neptune’s thermal-infrared brightness, a measure of temperature in Neptune’s atmosphere. The plot shows the relative change in the thermal-infrared brightness from Neptune’s stratosphere with time for all existing images taken by ground-based telescopes. Brighter images are interpreted as warmer. Corresponding thermal-infrared images (top) at wavelengths of ~12 µm show Neptune’s appearance in 2006, 2009, 2018 (observed by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope’s VISIR instrument), and 2020 (observed by Subaru’s COMICS instrument). The south pole appears to have become dramatically warmer in just the past few years. Credit: Michael Roman/NASA/JPL/Voyager-ISS/Justin Cowart

Neptune Is Cooler Than We Thought

New research led by space scientists at the University of Leicester has revealed how temperatures in[{” attribute=””>Neptune’s atmosphere have unexpectedly fluctuated over the past two decades.

The study, published today (Monday, April 11, 2022) in Planetary Science Journal, used observations in thermal-infrared wavelengths beyond the visible light spectrum, effectively sensing heat emitted from the planet’s atmosphere.

An international team of researchers, including scientists from Leicester and Neptune Temperature

Neptune as seen in visible light (centre) and thermal-infrared wavelengths (right), in 2020. The centre image combines multiple images from the Hubble Space Telescope, while the thermal-infrared image on the right was taken from the Subaru Telescope on Maunakea, Hawai’i. In the thermal-infrared, Neptune’s warm south pole glows more brightly than ever seen before. Credit: Michael Roman/NASA/ESA/STSci/M.H. Wong/L.A. Sromovsky/P.M. Fry

By analyzing the data, the researchers were able to reveal a more complete picture of trends in Neptune’s temperatures than ever before.

But to the researchers’ surprise, these collective datasets show a decline in Neptune’s thermal brightness since reliable thermal imaging began in 2003, indicating that globally-averaged temperatures in Neptune’s stratosphere – the layer of the atmosphere just above its active weather layer – have dropped by roughly 8 degrees Voyager 2 View of Neptune

Voyager 2 view of Neptune, captured in August 1989. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Kevin M. Gill

Yet, at Neptune’s south pole, the data reveal a different and surprisingly dramatic change. A combination of observations from Gemini North in 2019 and Subaru in 2020 reveal that Neptune’s polar stratosphere warmed by roughly 11°C (~20°F) between 2018 and 2020, reversing the previous globally-averaged cooling trend. Such polar warming has never been observed on Neptune before.

The cause of these unexpected stratospheric temperature changes is currently unknown, and the results challenge scientists’ understanding of Neptune’s atmospheric variability.

Dr. Roman continued:

“Temperature variations may be related to seasonal changes in Neptune’s atmospheric chemistry, which can alter how effectively the atmosphere cools.

“But random variability in weather patterns or even a response to the 11-year solar activity cycle may also have an effect.”

The 11-year solar cycle (marked by periodic variation in the Sun’s activity and sunspots) has been previously suggested to affect Neptune’s visible brightness, and the new study reveals a possible, but tentative, correlation between the solar activity, stratospheric temperatures, and the number of bright clouds seen on Neptune.

Follow-up observations of the temperature and cloud patterns are needed to further assess any possible connection in the years ahead.

Answers to these mysteries and more will come from the

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