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Small Dark Spot
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Small Dark Spot

feature, Neptune
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Quick Summary

The "Small Dark Spot" was a large storm system observed on Neptune by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. Similar in latitude and shape to Jupiter's Great Red Spot, it was comparable in size to Earth. This storm system was located in Neptune's southern hemisphere and was associated with the highest wind speeds measured on the planet, reaching up to 700 meters per second.

Neptune's atmosphere is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, with methane giving the planet its distinct blue color by absorbing red light. While the Great Red Spot on Jupiter has been observed for centuries, Neptune's Small Dark Spot was found to be absent from images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope just two years after the Voyager flyby, indicating a more transient nature for such storm systems on Neptune.

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. Neptune - The atmosphere
  2. Great Red Spot

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