Neptune

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Hubble Space Telescope view of Neptune. This image was captured in September 2018, and reveals a dark storm raging in Neptune's northern hemisphere. The feature is roughly 6,800 miles across. To the right of the dark feature are bright white 'companion clouds'. The bright clouds form when the flow of ambient air is disturbed and diverted upward over the dark vortex, causing gases to freeze into methane ice crystals. These clouds are similar to clouds that appear as pancake-shaped features when air is pushed over mountains on Earth. The long, thin cloud to the left of the dark spot is a transient feature that is not part of the storm system.

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Size: 4504px × 4776px
Location:
Photo credit: © Science History Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: gas, giant, ice, methane, neptune, planet, solar, space, storm, system