Photograph Description

Voyager 2 spacecraft grainy image of the planet Neptune, reconstructed from two images taken through green & clear filters by Voyager’s narrow- angle camera. Voyager passed within 5,000 km of Neptune during August 1989. Towards the north (top of image) is the Great Dark Spot, a giant cloud system that is accompanied by bright, white clouds which undergo rapid changes in appearance. To the south of the Great Dark Spot is a solitary white feature, the so-called “scooter”. Further to the south is a smaller dark spot with a bright, white centre. Strong eastward winds cause the smaller, faster moving dark spot to overtake the Great Dark Spot every five days. (Photo by Science Photo Library)