These thermal images show a "hot" south pole on the planet Neptune. These
warmer temperatures provide an avenue for methane to escape out of the
deep atmosphere.
The images were obtained with the Very Large Telescope in Chile, using an
imager/spectrometer for mid-infrared wavelengths on Sept. 1 and 2, 2006.
The telescope is operated by the European Organization for Astronomical
Research in the Southern Hemisphere (known as ESO).
Scientists say Neptune's south pole is "hotter" than anywhere else on the
planet by about 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). The average
temperature on Neptune is about minus 200 degrees Celsius (minus 392
degrees Fahrenheit).
The upper left image samples temperatures near the top of Neptune's
troposphere (near 100 millibar pressure, which is one-tenth the Earth
atmospheric pressure at sea level). The hottest temperatures are indicated
at the lower part of the image, at Neptune's south pole (see the graphic
at the upper right). The lower two images, taken 6.3 hours apart, sample
temperatures at higher altitudes in Neptune's stratosphere. They do show
generally warmer temperatures near, but not at, the south pole. They also
show a distinct warm area which can be seen in the lower left image and
rotated completely around the back of the planet and returned to the
earth-facing hemisphere in the lower right image.
