Astronomers have discovered something weird happening on Neptune. Nearly all the clouds that decorate its apparent blue atmosphere have disappeared, leaving the far-flung world almost devoid of clouds. Unlike the calm blue sky on Earth, Neptune's sky is constantly changing and full of action. It has some of the fastest winds in our solar system, reaching up to 2000 km/hr or 1200 mi/hr.
These turbulent conditions whip clouds of methane and other gases into a never-ending show, like a dance we can barely see from Earth. But here's the surprising part: lately, all the clouds have seemingly disappeared on Neptune, dramatically changing the appearance of the distant planet. Things took an interesting turn when scientists discovered the reason behind this change: the 11-year solar cycle, whose origin remains a mystery to date.
So, how did astronomers discover the reason behind the disappearance of the Neptunian clouds? How does the Sun, lying 4.4 billion km away, affect the atmosphere of Neptune to such a great extent? Finally, and most importantly, what evidence do we have to support this idea?
The 73rd episode of the Sunday Discovery Series answers all these questions in detail.
RESEARCH PAPER:
Evolution of Neptune at Near-Infrared Wavelengths from 1994 through 2022, E. Chavez at al. - [ Ссылка ]
