Neptune long-lived atmospheric features in 2013–2015 from small (28-cm) to large (10-m) telescopes

Hueso, R.; Pater, Imke de; Simon-Miller, A. A.; Sánchez‐Lavega, A.; Delcroix, M.; Wong, Michael H.; Tollefson, Joshua; Baranec, Christoph; Kleer, K. de; Luszcz‐Cook, Statia; Orton, Glenn S.; Hammel, Heidi B.; Gómez-Forrellad, Josep M.; Ordóñez-Etxeberria, I.; Sromovsky, Lawrence A.; Fry, P. M.; Colas, François; Rojas, J. F.; Pérez‐Hoyos, S.; Gorczynski, P.; Guarro, J.; Kivits, W.; Miles, P.; Millika, D.; Nicholas, P.; Sussenbach, J.S.; Wesley, A.; Sayanagi, Kunio M.; Ammons, S. Mark; Gates, E. L.; Gavel, Donald T.; Garcia, E. Victor; Law, Nicholas M.; Mendikoa, I.; Riddle, R. L.

doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2017.06.009

Cited by 23 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…-2015 was discovered at 46°S in 2015, drifting to 49°S in 2017, with companion clouds offset to the north by 1-4°(Wong et al, 2018). Prior to its discovery, ground-based observations showed bright cloud features in 2014-2015 at latitudes of 35-45°S, while features in 2013 were spread over a wider range of 35-52°S(Hueso et al, 2017). Qualitatively, the observations suggest a similar formation process for NDS-2018 and SDS-2015.…”

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confidence: 83%

Formation of a New Great Dark Spot on Neptune in 2018

Simon-Miller

Wong

Hsu

2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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For the first time, Hubble Space Telescope visible‐wavelength imaging shows the formation history of a dark vortex on Neptune. A new northern Great Dark Spot (NDS‐2018) was discovered in September and November 2018 images, spanning roughly 12° of latitude and 27° in longitude (11,000 × 5,000 km) at 23°N planetographic latitude. NDS‐2018 is similar in size, shape, and longitudinal drift rate as the Voyager 2 Great Dark Spot near 22°S. NDS‐2018 was prominent in blue‐wavelength November 2018 images and drifted at 2.46°/hr westward. Yearly global maps demonstrate possibly related cloud activity in prior years. The drift rate and formation history of the dark vortex indicates a deep origin. We estimate that the north‐south gradient in zonal wind speed is almost 4 times larger at the depth of the dark vortex, compared with cloud‐tracked zonal winds.

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confidence: 83%

Formation of a New Great Dark Spot on Neptune in 2018

Simon-Miller

Wong

Hsu

2019

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…Neptune displays both types of discrete cloud activity : episodic and continuous (Baines andHammel, 1994, Sromovsky et al, 1995). Recently, images taken by the amateur community using improved observing and processing techniques, have been able to capture such features on this planet (Hueso et al, 2017). On the other hand, the images taken in an ample range of wavelengths from about 400 nm to 2.2 µm indicate that the clouds are located at higher altitude levels than in Uranus, with cloud tops at around 20-60 mbar whereas other storms are at the ∼2 bar level (Irwin et al, 2016a,b).…”

Section: Meteorology Of Uranus and Neptune And Convectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scientific rationale for Uranus and Neptune in situ explorations

Mousis

Atkinson

Cavalié

et al. 2018

Planetary and Space Science

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The ice giants Uranus and Neptune are the least understood class of planets in our solar system but the most frequently observed type of exoplanets. Presumed to have a small rocky core, a deep interior comprising ∼70% heavy elements surrounded by a more dilute outer envelope of H 2 and He, Uranus and Neptune are fundamentally different from the better-explored gas giants Jupiter and Saturn. Because of the lack of dedicated exploration missions, our knowledge of the composition and atmospheric processes of these distant worlds is primarily derived from remote sensing from Earth-based observatories and space telescopes. As a result, Uranus's and Neptune's physical and atmospheric properties remain poorly constrained and their roles in the evolution of the Solar System not well understood. Exploration of an ice giant system is therefore a highpriority science objective as these systems (including the magnetosphere, satellites, rings, atmosphere, and interior) challenge our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. Here we describe the main scientific goals to be addressed by a future in situ exploration of an ice giant. An atmospheric entry probe targeting the 10-bar level, about 5 scale heights beneath the tropopause, would yield insight into two broad themes : i) the formation history of the ice giants and, in a broader extent, that of the Solar System, and ii) the processes at play in planetary atmospheres. The probe would descend under parachute to measure composition, structure, and dynamics, with data returned to Earth using a Carrier Relay Spacecraft as a relay station. In addition, possible mission concepts and partnerships are presented, and a strawman ice-giant probe payload is described. An ice-giant atmospheric probe could represent a significant ESA contribution to a future NASA ice-giant flagship mission.

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“…Diagnosing atmospheric circulation requires high spatial resolution, which for reflected light and thermal infrared observations either demands the use of 8-10-m diameter observatories on the ground (e.g., Gemini, Keck, Subaru and the Very Large Telescope, VLT), or the stable conditions of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Furthermore, amateur observers have recently begun tracking prominent atmospheric storms and bands on both Uranus and Neptune (Hueso et al 2017). Although these are not yet of sufficient quality to aid in the exploration of Ice Giant circulation patterns, we might reasonably expect significant improvements in the decade before any Ice Giant mission.…”

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confidence: 99%

Ice Giant Circulation Patterns: Implications for Atmospheric Probes

et al. 2020

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Atmospheric circulation patterns derived from multi-spectral remote sensing can serve as a guide for choosing a suitable entry location for a future in situ probe mission to the Ice Giants. Since the Voyager-2 flybys in the 1980s, three decades of observations from ground- and space-based observatories have generated a picture of Ice Giant circulation that is complex, perplexing, and altogether unlike that seen on the Gas Giants. This review seeks to reconcile the various competing circulation patterns from an observational perspective, accounting for spatially-resolved measurements of: zonal albedo contrasts and banded appearances; cloud-tracked zonal winds; temperature and para-H2 measurements above the condensate clouds; and equator-to-pole contrasts in condensable volatiles (methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulphide) in the deeper troposphere. These observations identify three distinct latitude domains: an equatorial domain of deep upwelling and upper-tropospheric subsidence, potentially bounded by peaks in the retrograde zonal jet and analogous to Jovian cyclonic belts; a mid-latitude transitional domain of upper-tropospheric upwelling, vigorous cloud activity, analogous to Jovian anticyclonic zones; and a polar domain of strong subsidence, volatile depletion, and small-scale (and potentially seasonally-variable) convective activity. Taken together, the multi-wavelength observations suggest a tiered structure of stacked circulation cells (at least two in the troposphere and one in the stratosphere), potentially separated in the vertical by (i) strong molecular weight gradients associated with cloud condensation, and by (ii) transitions from a thermally-direct circulation regime at depth to a wave- and radiative-driven circulation regime at high altitude. The inferred circulation can be tested in the coming decade by 3D numerical simulations of the atmosphere, and by observations from future world-class facilities. The carrier spacecraft for any probe entry mission must ultimately carry a suite of remote-sensing instruments capable of fully constraining the atmospheric motions at the probe descent location.

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Neptune long-lived atmospheric features in 2013–2015 from small (28-cm) to large (10-m) telescopes

Cited by 23 publications

References 40 publications

Formation of a New Great Dark Spot on Neptune in 2018

Formation of a New Great Dark Spot on Neptune in 2018

Scientific rationale for Uranus and Neptune in situ explorations

Ice Giant Circulation Patterns: Implications for Atmospheric Probes

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