Theories on Neptune temp change?

[GabeGazes72]

I was just wondering what everyone thought about the news about Neptune having such strange summer weather.

 

[Catastrophe]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

What is Neptune's Temperature? | Space

Neptune's temperatures run oddly warm and cold - EarthSky
https://earthsky.org › Space


Neptune - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Neptune



Cat

 

[GabeGazes72]

What is Neptune's Temperature? | Space

Neptune's temperatures run oddly warm and cold - EarthSky
https://earthsky.org › Space


Search for: What temperature is it on Neptune?


Cat

This was more for asking people's thoughts and personal ideas as to what they think is causing it. I should probably change the post from question.

 

[Catastrophe]

Yes. It is unexpected, but it is because a different mechanism controls the temperature.

It is strange to us, because we expect nearer the Sun to be warmer.

Cat

 

[GabeGazes72]

Yes. It is unexpected, but it is because a different mechanism controls the temperature.

It is strange to us, because we expect nearer the Sun to be warmer.

Cat

I personally think the clouds are, for some reason, just pooling towards the equator and leaving very sparse overcast at the poles, the south pole especially.

 

[Catastrophe]

I personally think the clouds are, for some reason, just pooling towards the equator and leaving very sparse overcast at the poles, the south pole especially.

We really do need another probe to visit Neptune and Uranus.

Cat

 

[GabeGazes72]

We really do need another probe to visit Neptune and Uranus.

Cat

As it turns out, they're planning on sending one to the Ice Giants. Not soon, but in the near-ish future.

 

[Catastrophe]

Yes. I think the previous one was especially useful, in that both planets could be visited in one shot. I think that window is closed and it has to be one or the other. Difficult choice.

Cat

 

[Catastrophe]

I personally think the clouds are, for some reason, just pooling towards the equator and leaving very sparse overcast at the poles, the south pole especially.

Very possible. May be similar to our Gulf Stream.

Cat

 

[Helio]

It's mildly interesting that the color of Neptune matches the peak energy output of the Sun. Assuming the color is due to scattering, this would actually make Neptune cooler since the blue color we see is the color rejected (scattered) not absorbed. [I doubt this is anything more than some novelty from a heliochromologist, admittedly. ]

 

[Dragrath]

In the context of the observed changes beyond just seasonal shifts its important to note that you can get shifts from internal dynamical cycles such as El Nino/La Nina related to rates of ocean overturning in the Pacific. Given that Neptune's main heat source appears to be primarily internal I would suspect that changes in the rate of upwelling are quite important here.