37:
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continued at a lower altitude as evidenced by the persistence of the storm's companion clouds. The Small Dark Spot did not have any companion clouds by which to judge survival of the storm causing the spot. While a conjectured mechanism for decay and death of large vortexes on
Neptune is their approach to the equator where the planet has 400 meter per second jet streams, this storm (as well as others) could have also decayed from unexplained mechanisms of
1071:
123:
believed clockwise rotation. These clouds are composed of the same methane-ice that forms similar clouds called "companion clouds" present near the edges of other large storms on the planet; however, the Small Dark Spot did not have any of these companion clouds apparent in its 1989 observation. Additionally, no companion clouds were observed in the region of the spot in the 1994 observation of the planet.
1081:
22:
131:
After being observed by
Voyager 2 in 1989, the planet would not be observed in high resolution again until the Hubble Space Telescope turned its view to it in 1994. In 1994 and subsequent observations, both major storms had apparently vanished. The storm causing the Great Dark Spot, however, may have
122:
The bright central region representing the pupil of the eye-like shape was formed by white methane-ice clouds upwelling from the center of the storm. Within the chaos of these central clouds are some larger structures, including a distinct V-shape on the East side of the storm indicating the storm's
118:
The dark oval of this storm which created the overall outline for the eye-like shape was formed by a clockwise rotating vortex which sucked atmosphere inward toward the planet center. This action of pulling atmosphere downward created a hole in the upper methane cloud deck of
Neptune and gave the
97:
South while rotating East around
Neptune with a period of 16.1 hours. Unlike the Great Dark Spot (which has some of the highest measured wind speeds in the Solar System), wind speed data was not taken for the Small Dark Spot. The spot was also observed without any white "companion clouds" present
110:
The nickname "Wizard's Eye" given to this storm comes from its distinct features which create a striking eye-like appearance. Overall the Small Dark Spot is significantly smaller but on the same order of magnitude as the Great Dark Spot and rotates about
513:
Ingersoll, Andrew P.; Barnet, Christopher D.; Beebe, Reta F.; Flasar, F. Michael; Hinson, David P.; Limaye, Sanjay S.; Sromovsky, Lawrence A.; Suomi, Verner E. (1995). "Dynamic
Meteorology of Neptune".
119:
storm its darker blue tone. Also present within the dark region of the storm were sharp band-lines potentially indicating unseen high winds, despite exact measurements having never been taken.
818:
655:
483:
599:
525:
433:
Sromovsky, L. A.; Fry, P. M.; Dowling, T. E.; Baines, K. H. (October 1, 2000). "The unusual dynamics of new dark spots on
Neptune".
93:
and
Scooter (a bright fast moving cloud located between the two giant storms). The Small Dark Spot was found at a latitude of 54
190:
257:
792:
374:
Suomi, V. E.; Limaye, S. S.; Johnson, D. R. (February 22, 1991). "High Winds of
Neptune: A Possible Mechanism".
36:
1120:
1110:
150:
145:
133:
57:
537:"Lifetimes and Occurrence Rates of Dark Vortices on Neptune from 25 Years of Hubble Space Telescope Images"
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939:
782:
78:
592:
29:
1000:
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pointed the Hubble Space
Telescope toward Neptune in 1994, both giant spots were no longer present.
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90:
25:
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387:
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828:
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The Small Dark Spot was discovered in 1989 by the
Voyager 2 spacecraft along with the
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further south and with a period about 2 hours shorter than the larger storm.
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Comparative CFD Simulations of the Dark Spots of Uranus and Neptune
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20:
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around its edges, again in contrast to the Great Dark Spot. When
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520:. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. pp. 613–682.
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470:. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
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observed Neptune in 1994, the storm had disappeared.
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Xiaolong Deng; Raymond LeBeau, Jr. (June 15, 2012).
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251:Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (August 21, 2001).
32:(middle white cloud), and Small Dark Spot (bottom).
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535:Andrew I. Hsu; et al. (March 25, 2019).
40:A high-resolution view of the Small Dark Spot
16:Southern cyclonic storm on the planet Neptune
8:
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291:Jet Propulsion Laboratory Photojournal
67:. It was the second largest southern
7:
14:
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659:True color NASA image of Neptune
320:"Neptune's Small Dark Spot (D2)"
819:Neptune-crossing minor planets
1:
287:"PIA00046: Neptune Full Disk"
77:flew by the planet. When the
396:10.1126/science.251.4996.929
258:Astronomy Picture of the Day
71:on the planet in 1989, when
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1065:
652:
615:
562:10.3847/1538-3881/ab0747
541:The Astronomical Journal
195:Solar System Exploration
151:Extraterrestrial cyclone
146:Dragon Storm (astronomy)
106:Physical characteristics
48:, sometimes also called
793:Heinrich Louis d'Arrest
253:"Dark Spots on Neptune"
58:extraterrestrial vortex
783:Johann Gottfried Galle
660:
79:Hubble Space Telescope
41:
33:
658:
191:"Historic Hurricanes"
39:
24:
134:Neptune's atmosphere
553:2019AJ....157..152H
476:10.2514/6.2007-4119
447:2000DPS....32.0903S
388:1991Sci...251..929S
85:Observation history
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620:Outline of Neptune
517:Neptune and Triton
293:. January 29, 1996
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34:
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778:Urbain Le Verrier
485:978-1-62410-008-6
382:(4996): 929–932.
225:"Small Dark Spot"
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788:John Couch Adams
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324:www.jpl.nasa.gov
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205:on June 14, 2011
201:. Archived from
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171:Great White Spot
54:The Wizard's Eye
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1121:1989 in science
1111:Planetary spots
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983:Neptune Odyssey
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798:William Lassell
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641:Small Dark Spot
636:Great Dark Spot
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458:Further reading
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350:"NASA's Cosmos"
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156:Great Dark Spot
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91:Great Dark Spot
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46:Small Dark Spot
26:Great Dark Spot
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1031:New Horizons 2
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166:Great Red Spot
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69:cyclonic storm
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994:Triton Hopper
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837:385571 Otrera
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127:Disappearance
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1011:Not selected
999:
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975:
960:(1989 flyby)
954:
842:385695 Clete
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357:. Retrieved
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327:. Retrieved
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295:. Retrieved
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266:. Retrieved
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229:. Retrieved
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207:. Retrieved
203:the original
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130:
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109:
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53:
49:
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43:
18:
940:Exploration
814:Kuiper belt
50:Dark Spot 2
1100:Categories
753:S/2021 N 1
733:S/2002 N 5
547:(4): 152.
177:References
1057:Mythology
969:Proposals
956:Voyager 2
770:Discovery
762:Astronomy
738:Laomedeia
701:Hippocamp
629:Geography
571:127269903
504:ignored (
494:cite book
441:: 09.03.
404:0036-8075
359:April 23,
329:April 23,
297:April 23,
268:August 9,
231:August 9,
209:August 9,
74:Voyager 2
56:, was an
1116:Vortices
1075:Category
743:Psamathe
723:Halimede
681:Thalassa
420:46419483
412:17847386
140:See also
1106:Neptune
1052:Fiction
1045:Related
1001:Trident
977:Shensuo
920:2011 HM
908:2008 LC
896:2007 VL
884:2006 RJ
872:2005 TN
860:2004 KV
848:2001 QR
829:Trojans
807:General
706:Proteus
696:Larissa
691:Galatea
686:Despina
609:Neptune
549:Bibcode
443:Bibcode
384:Bibcode
376:Science
161:Oval BA
65:Neptune
60:on the
30:Scooter
28:(top),
1085:Portal
988:ODINUS
718:Nereid
712:Triton
569:
524:
482:
418:
410:
402:
227:. NASA
62:planet
676:Naiad
668:Moons
646:Rings
567:S2CID
416:S2CID
1019:Argo
948:Past
748:Neso
522:ISBN
506:help
480:ISBN
408:PMID
400:ISSN
361:2020
331:2020
299:2020
270:2012
263:NASA
233:2012
211:2012
199:NASA
100:NASA
44:The
923:102
899:305
887:103
851:322
728:Sao
557:doi
545:157
472:doi
435:DPS
392:doi
380:251
52:or
1102::
911:18
875:53
863:18
565:.
555:.
543:.
539:.
498::
496:}}
492:{{
478:.
439:32
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352:.
339:^
322:.
307:^
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241:^
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111:30
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113:°
95:°
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