Image with dark spot (blue light)

This new image taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope confirms the presence of a dark vortex in the atmosphere of Neptune. The full visible-light image at left shows that the dark feature resides near and below a patch of bright clouds in the planet's southern hemisphere. The dark spot measures roughly 4,800 kilometers across. Other high-altitude clouds can be seen at the planet's equatorial region and polar regions.

The image shows that Neptune's dark vortices are typically best seen at blue wavelengths. Only Hubble has the high resolution required for identifying such weather features on distant Neptune.