Universe Today
Here is a collection of all the best pictures of Neptune captured by Voyager 2, Hubble and Earth-based telescopes. Unfortunately, only one spacecraft, Voyager 2, has ever visited Neptune up close, so all the closeup images of Neptune were captured over the course of just a few days as Voyager 2 swept by the planet in 1989.
[/caption] This is a classic picture of Neptune captured by NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft during its 1989 flyby of Neptune. The NASA spacecraft had already visited Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus during its trip, and Neptune was the final stop on its grand tour of the planets before speeding off into deep space. You can see a giant storm raging on the surface of Neptune, which scientists have named Neptune's Great Dark Spot.
[caption id="attachment_21644" align="alignleft" width="531" caption="Neptune and its Great Dark Spot. Image credit: NASA/JPL"]
[/caption] Here's an
amazing pic
of Neptune captured by Voyager 2. In this image, the planet's Great Dark Spot is much more visible. You can also see a white storm around the rim of the great dark spot, which scientists call a "scooter".
[caption id="attachment_21645" align="alignleft" width="580" caption="Neptune seen by Hubble. Image credit: Hubble"]
[/caption] This Neptune photo was captured by the mighty Hubble Space Telescope. It shows just how powerful and sensitive Hubble is. Keep in mind that Neptune is 4.5 billion kilometers away from Earth. Another interesting feature is the fact that the dark spot seems to be missing in this image of Neptune.
[caption id="attachment_21646" align="alignleft" width="455" caption="Clouds above Neptune. Image credit: NASA/JPL"]
[/caption] This amazing Neptune pic shows distinct clouds hovering above Neptune's lower cloud deck. You can even see shadows cast onto the surface of Neptune by these clouds. Astronomers think that the clouds are made of methane gas. This image of Neptune was captured by NASA's Voyager 2 during its 1989 Neptune flyby.
[caption id="attachment_21647" align="alignleft" width="580" caption="Neptune's largest Moon, Triton. Image credit: NASA/JPL"]
[/caption] This is an incredible image of Neptune's largest moon Triton, which was also seen by Voyager during its 1989 flyby of Neptune and its moons. It was captured at an altitude of 146,000 km above the surface of Triton.
[caption id="attachment_21648" align="alignleft" width="454" caption="Neptune seen from Earth. Image credit: Keck"]
[/caption] And finally, here's a Neptune picture captured from Earth. It was taken by the Keck II telescope in Hawaii. This is one of the largest telescopes in the world, and it's equipped with an adaptive optics instrument that allows the telescope to remove the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere.
