Photograph Description

Voyager 2 spacecraft image of the planet Neptune, photographed through the green, orange and clear filters of Voyager’s narrow-angle camera at a distance of 4.2 million kilometers from Neptune. Voyager 2 approached Neptune in August 1989, passing within 5,000 km of the planet. The image shows prominent features of active weather systems in Neptune’s southern hemisphere. The smallest features visible are 38 km across. The dark oval feature with a bright centre is a persistent cloud system that circuits the planet. Two groups of wispy, white clouds are visible at the bottom of the image. (Photo by Science Photo Library)