Neptune's Great Dark Spot of 1989



This is an image of Neptune's Great Dark Spot of 1989.
Click on image for full size version (80K JPG)
Unlike Jupiter's Great Red Spot, the Great Dark Spot of Neptune is thought to be a hole in the methane cloud deck of Neptune. The white clouds shown in the picture are above the "hole". In many images of Neptune, the Great Dark Spot can be seen to change size and shape.

The Great Red Spot of Jupiter is thought to be a hurricane which has been raging on Jupiter for at least 400 years. The Great Dark Spot, seen here by Voyager in 1989, disappeared in 1994, and was replaced very soon by a similar "Spot" in a similar place, but in the northern hemisphere instead of in the southern hemisphere.

The Great Dark Spot of 1989 either dissipated or is currently masked by other aspects of Neptune's atmosphere. Whatever the reason, its disappearance demonstrates that Neptune has a dynamic, rapidly changing atmosphere.


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Neptune's Great Dark Spot of 1989



This is an image of Neptune's Great Dark Spot of 1989.
Click on image for full size version (80K JPG)
Unlike Jupiter's Great Red Spot, the Great Dark Spot of Neptune is thought to be a hole, similar to the hole in the ozone layer on Earth, in the methane cloud deck of Neptune. The white clouds shown in the picture are above the "hole". In many images of Neptune, the Great Dark Spot can be seen to change size and shape.

The Great Red Spot of Jupiter is thought to be a hurricane which has been raging on Jupiter for at least 400 years. The Great Dark Spot, seen here by Voyager in 1989, disappeared (either dissipating or being masked) in 1994, and was replaced very soon by a similar "Spot" in a similar place, but in the north instead of in the south.


Return to atmosphere


Neptune's Great Dark Spot of 1989



This is an image of Neptune's Great Dark Spot of 1989.
Click on image for full size version (80K JPG)
The Great Dark Spot of Neptune is thought to be a hole in the methane clouds of Neptune. The white clouds shown in the picture are above the "hole". In many images of Neptune, the Great Dark Spot can be seen to change size and shape.

The Great Red Spot of Jupiter is thought to be a hurricane which has been raging on Jupiter for at least 400 years. The Great Dark Spot, seen here by Voyager in 1989, disappeared in 1994, and was replaced very soon by a similar "Spot" in the north instead of in the south.


Return to atmosphere



Last modified November 13, 1997 by the Windows Team

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