The Other Gas Giants

The forgotten gentle giants of our Solar System in one handy dandy blog. Also, at times this will probably become a Voyager 2 appreciation blog. This is my personal blog.

[penny4nasa]

New Horizons Flies By Neptune Exactly 25 Years After Voyager 2 In what NASA is calling a “cosmic coincidence” the New Horizons probe makes its flyby of Neptune on the 25th anniversary of Voyager 2’s Neptune encounter. On August 25, 1989, Voyager 2 made its closest flyby of Neptune, making it the first spacecraft to study the planet. During Voyager 2’s flyby, it discovered a massive anticyclonic storm system called the Great Dark Spot, similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Today, NASA’s New Horizons probe is embarking on an equally exciting journey to another world never before visited by a spacecraft. When the spacecraft arrives on July 14, 2015, it will provide the first detailed images of Pluto. The dwarf planet is so distant from us that even images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope appear blurry. Read more about the New Horizons mission and Voyager 2’s flyby of Neptune here: http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/august/nasa-s-new-horizons-spacecraft-crosses-neptune-orbit-en-route-to-historic-pluto/index.htm

[christinetheastrophysicist]

Storms on Uranus

This last week, astronomers at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii spotted some huge storms on Uranus. Prior to 2007, when Uranus’ southern hemisphere was visible, there was a really bright storm known as the Berg. Over a few years, that storm started to migrate towards the equator before it disappeared. The current storm, spotted on August 6th in Uranus’ northern hemisphere, is even brighter than the Berg. Near-infrared images show that the storm will reach high altitudes near the tropopause. By studying this storm, we can see how storms on other planets evolve and compare it to those on Earth.

[humanoidhistory]

The planet Neptune, observed by the Hubble Space Telescope.

[humanoidhistory]

The planet Neptune, 1989, observed by the Voyager 2 space probe.

(NASA)

[humanoidhistory]

Voyager 2 green filter image of Neptune showing the Great Dark Spot,  22 August 1989. (NASA)

[truespins-deactivated20150507]

[megacosms]

Despina, Moon of Neptune  Image Credit: NASA, JPL - Processed Image Copyright: Ted Stryk

Explanation: Despina is a tiny moon of Neptune. A mere 148 kilometers across, diminutive Despina was discovered in 1989, in images from the Voyager 2 spacecraft taken during its encounter with the solar system’s most distant gas giant planet. But looking through the Voyager 2 data 20 years later, amateur image processor and philosophy professor Ted Stryk discovered something no one had recognized before — images that show the shadow of Despina in transit across Neptune’s blue cloud tops. His composite view of Despina and its shadow is composed of four archival frames taken on August 24, 1989, separated by nine minutes. Despina itself has been artificially brightened to make it easier to see. In ancient Greek mythology, Despina is a daughter of Poseidon, the Roman god Neptune.

[space-pictures]

Uranus & Moons Titania, Oberon, Umbriel, Ariel & MIranda Taken by Voyager 2

Images: NASA/JPL

[space-pictures]

These two pictures of Uranus — one in true color (left) and the other in false color — were compiled from images returned Jan. 17, 1986, by the narrow-angle camera of Voyager 2. The picture at left has been processed to show Uranus as human eyes would see it from the vantage point of the spacecraft. The picture is a composite of images taken through blue, green and orange filters. The darker shadings at the upper right of the disk correspond to the day-night boundary on the planet. Beyond this boundary lies the hidden northern hemisphere of Uranus, which currently remains in total darkness as the planet rotates

Image: NASA/JPL

[astronomicalwonders]

Planet Neptune and its largest Moon Triton

Neptune is the outer most planet in our solar system; it orbits the sun with a radius of 2,798,000,000 miles. Neptune is the 4th largest planet by diameter, 3rd largest planet by mass and densest of all the gas giants. Neptune has a great dark spot similar to that of Jupiter. Both spots are Anticyclonic storms, meaning the winds around the storm flow opposite to the direction dictated by the Coriolis effect. However, unlike Jupiter’s spots, Neptune’s dark spots appear to only last a few years (as opposed to a few hundred) and have relatively calm and cloudless centers. Observations have shown that Neptune spends about the same amount of time with and without its largest dark spot. The storms activity seems to cyclical.

Neptune has 14 moons, Triton is the largest and composes more than 99.5% of all the mass that orbits the planet. Triton is roughly the same size as our moon: (Neptune’s Triton vs Earth’s moon)

Triton has a retrograde orbit around Neptune, meaning that it orbits in the opposite of the planet’s rotation.

These images were taken by the Voyager 2 space probe and the Hubble space telescope, with the exception of the last image being an artists impression of Neptune seen from its moon Triton.

Credit: NASA/Hubble/JPL/wikipedia

[humanoidhistory]

The planet Neptune, August 21, 1989, observed by the Voyager 2 space probe.

[spacettf]

Despina, Moon of Neptune Image Credit: NASA, JPL - Processed Image Copyright: Ted Stryk

Explanation: Despina is a tiny moon of Neptune. A mere 148 kilometers across, diminutive Despina was discovered in 1989, in images from the Voyager 2 spacecraft taken during its encounter with the solar system’s most distant gas giant planet. But looking through the Voyager 2 data 20 years later, amateur image processor and philosophy professor Ted Stryk discovered something no one had recognized before — images that show the shadow of Despina in transit across Neptune’s blue cloud tops. His composite view of Despina and its shadow is composed of four archival frames taken on August 24, 1989, separated by nine minutes. Despina itself has been artificially brightened to make it easier to see. In ancient Greek mythology, Despina is a daughter of Poseidon, the Roman god Neptune.

Nasa Apod 16 Jan 2014

[christinetheastrophysicist]

Archival Hubble Images Reveal Neptune’s “Lost” Inner Moon

Neptune’s tiny, innermost moon, Naiad, has now been seen for the first time since it was discovered by Voyager’s cameras in 1989.  A dramatic new image was released of Neptune’s puzzling rings and ring-arcs, which were first imaged by Voyager.

Read More.

[therealuniverse]

[romkids]

Tonight, view Neptune unlike any other time of the year! 

Grab a pair of binoculars, head outside and look to the south for the Aquarius constellation and see something rarely seen so easily from Earth! Spot the middle of the constellation and look down, and there, with the aid of your telescope or binoculars, you’ll be able to see the forth largest planet in our solar system, Neptune.

Opposition

Neptune is at the point in its orbit around the sun where it has reached opposition. Opposition essentially means when the Sun, Earth and the stellar object you’re looking at, in this case Neptune, aline. When it’s at this point, it’s the closest to Earth, and easiest to see, during the year.

Life in a City of Lights

Outside of two portaging trips to Algonquin Park, I’ve rarely ever seen the inky black and brightly spotted canvas of space. Those two trips introduced me to the stars in a way that city life and youtube videos never could. However, it’s only been recently that my interest in viewing celestial objects has truly been ignited. 

I hope those outside of the city, or deep within a park take this wonderful opportunity to look up into space and try and spot this strange blue world.

More information

EarthSky: Neptune comes closest to Earth for year on August 26

Image Source: By NASA [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[scienceyoucanlove-deactivated20]

[sagansense]

Uranus is the only giant planet whose equator is nearly at right angles to its orbit. A collision with an Earth-sized object may explain Uranus’ unique tilt. Nearly a twin in size to Neptune, Uranus has more methane in its mainly hydrogen and helium atmosphere than Jupiter or Saturn. Methane gives Uranus its blue tint.

Featured Mission: Voyager 2 Most of what we know about Uranus came from Voyager 2’s flyby in 1986. The spacecraft discovered 10 additional moons and several rings before heading on to Neptune.

Read More from NASA

via invaderxan

[pappubahry]

Neptune, seen from the Keck Observatory in the infrared (wavelength 1.17-1.3 microns), 11 August 2004.  (Program ID N19N2.)