The Hubble Telescope observed a giant storm over Neptune, the most distant planet in the solar system, suddenly changed direction.
Scientists have discovered that the black storm over Neptune is moving strangely, Cnet reported on December 16. Neptune is the most distant planet in the solar system. This giant frozen planet has an atmosphere rich in hydrogen, helium and methane.
The Hubble Space Telescope discovered black storms in 2018. These storms, after their formation, often drift towards the equator and then dissipate. NASA calls the site the equatorial “murder zone”.
However, the new storm did not follow the rules. It moved normally until August 2020, then suddenly changed direction and turned north. “It was interesting to see the storm initially move as planned, then suddenly stop and the loop come back. It was really unexpected, ”said Michael Wong, a planet specialist at the University of California, Berkeley. , comment.
A giant storm is not the only one. Scientists found that a small black spot appeared as the big storm changed direction. This is probably part of the original hurricane and has been called a “baby blot”. The large storm is about 7,400 km wide and the small version is about 6,300 km wide. “We can’t prove that they’re related. It’s still a mystery,” Wong said.
There are many questions surrounding the Storms of Neptune as to whether they are interconnected and why the Great Storm has changed course. Observability from Hubble, a space telescope cooperated by NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), could provide scientists with a number of answers.
“We wouldn’t know anything about these dark spots without Hubble. Now we can follow the great storm for years to come and see it end its life cycle,” said NASA scientist Amy Simon. know.
