Voyager at Neptune 1989
Voyager at Neptune 1989
Voyager at Neptune 1989
COLOR PHOTOGRAPH
/i
N,,1_..The,
actual m,,m_.nt,!I ,l,,mt ,tpp,,,l,h
u ill/,, ,,n Atcgmt 24. 1989 ,a 9 t'.._f. PI)7_
Tht q_,tcr,y,tft'.t radio tignaZ_,tt d,m.._tap-
pm,t,h u'dl not _zacl_Earth mml ,.Uigmt .;5,
_
1.'o6 A.._t. PI)'I_ ._imeradio .ttgndl.tI tr,ttdolg
dl the .iprr,/,_]li._t;t) Ut// t,tb_"4 tS,J/O:_
6 mtpltltv.,
to o_J._._
the tit._t di._t,tntz../i_m;,X't/_tumt,,
l',o'th. ,_,l,tn) o/tbr ohu.rtati,m.t c,mdt¢:t,l
about thi., time u'ill ht I,.,mkd on tbt .,p,t..-
OOLOR PHOTOGRAPH " '_
THE DISCOVERY OF NEPTUNE •
N_.ptune
,,,,sthefirstpla,,eth,,..'d TheOO_O_i_t4OTOCS_lFhl,,,h
". /"!
through nlathelnatical preditlh)lis rather nlatllcnlatithzn l]rbain Jeall Joseph Le \_r- •
than tim)ugh systcmatic observations of rier published his own w()rk on the topic.
' ' tht"sky. \_'hen,Sir
(iei:rge
tlotic(:d
that Lc Vcrrier's
In the )'ears
fi)lh)wing
_X"il]iarn wor].:
closelymatched thalof young ..............
i
l-lcrschel's
discovery(X Uranus in I_81. Adams, he direcr,.,l
Profi:ssor
James Chal-
astronomers noted that Uranus was n()t lis ot (_ambridge Observatory to begin a
faithfully fi)lh)wing its predicted path. search ()f the heavens fi)r this object. Chal-
Uranus seemed to accelerate in its orbit ]is was hindered, however, by the lack of
boil)re 1822 and to sh)w after that. One up-to-date star maps of the area to b(:
possible explanation _s that the gravity searched and, without these, it was diffi-
_)f'an undiscovered planet was affecting cult to quickly discern new bodies from
the orbit of Uranus. known ones. His only course was to
Two )'()ung mathematicians, each work- tediously scan and re-scan the sky over a
ing independentiy and with no knowledge period ()f weeks, watching fi)r planet-like
of the other, were iorrigued by the rays- motion. He missed recognizing Neptune l,I. O. J. I.e Vorrler
tery and set out to solve it. several times. (From tho
In England, John Couch Adams began Illulltr&tdl_ London
NIIWlI, Feb. _', 1841).)
,,_ ,
I) London° 'IIIIilL )
+
.r6" ] m_
1
//_, ,, - _,>_,/ /__J_ - 0.,94 /_, s'_ -/. r.,+
4/".,#,'- ..@ F).
f
J
ORIGINAL PAGE ,_
: COLOR PHOTOGRAPH ',"
in Sc.ptember 18 i6. Lc VL.rrier. ullablc with those of i.c Vcrrlcr lbr retognltlo,, ot ()bscrvatory ,11 FI,L_srafl. Ar,z_m,L0 hir_.l
to h'lterest l'rench astronomc.rs, sent his their (,halllpi()l}. In keep I,t; with thc cs- astronomcr (;lydc "l_,lnbau_ht- begin ;,n
calculations to an assistant at the lk.rlin tablishcd prat ti_c of namin_ plancts for cxhatlstivv scareh ti,r this ninth planet Ill
Observator); .Johann Gottfried Galk.. ant lent Roman or Greek g.ds, however, 19_,(), X t years alter Neptune's discovcr.v,
Galk' received the letter on September 2_ the new planet was _allc'd NcptunL., after "ll,nbaugh discovered the planet Plut..
'." and bcgan a search f,r thc object that tilt" Roman god ot tilt" sca. Plut, is now known to bc hir too _mall to
nib_ht. (;alle, too. might have missed the Seventy-five years earlier or later, tilt" have taused thc apparent dittt-rences bc-
. discovery had not a student, Hcinrich probk.m would hax.e bccn mathematic;ally tv,'ccn Neptune s prcdicted and obscrvcd
Louis d'Arrest, provided him with the insolublc. At the time of tilt" discovery, orbits, however, and the source (it tiles(-
latest star map of the area. Antl there, Neptune was in the one part of its orbit dili_:rences remains unrcsolvcd.
within a degrec of Le Vcrricr's predictions that alh)wcd solution.
(and only a fi.'w dcgrees fi'om Adams' pre- The orbit calculated by Adams and
dictions) was an unidentified disk. \\'hcn, Lc Verrier is not precisely Neptune's orbit.
by the next night, the object had a new l)iftercnces between tile actual and prc-
position, the discovcry could be claimed dictcd orbits ton,inucd to bc noted by
--an eighth planethad been found, astron()mcrs.
In It)IS,American Percival i
An international brouhaha tblh)wed, Lowell prcditted a ninth planet, based
with supporters of Adams contending on the ditt_.'ren_es between calculated and I
_i • I I
.,i
'.
! 1833, MIrklichei
Museum.)
!
ORIGINAL PAGE
WHAT O0 WE _NOW AeOUT NEPTUNE, COLOR PHOTOGRAPH (',
tlranus and Neptune are often thought of mtJspheric rotation rate is between 17 and /
as a pair, because of their great distance 18 huurs. Rotation fate's of plancts tan bc
from the Sun and their similarities ill size measured in two ways: by tratking cloud I
and color. But already scientists expect k'arures in the atmosphere or by monitor- ..
that Neptune will bc vastly different from ing the radio emissions generated by dec-
any of the other planets yet studied, irons spiraling into the planet's magnetit
Ahhough Neptune is the fi)urth largest ticld. Radio emissions give the rota.ion Oioud structure on _,
Neptune is sl_=nam
planet, it is invisiblc to the nakcd eye be- rate t)f tilt" bulk t)f tilt" planct because inan imagetllken ]
cause it orbits in the outer regions of the the magnetic field is generated in the in Jenuent
from about
mu
309
,
st)lar system, -i!..3 billion kih:mt.ters planet's interior, millionkilometers
(nearly 3 billion miles) from the Sun. (In 0an mii,o, mii_), t
fact, Neptune is currently the farthest |
peraturc
!ess than isLlranus,
about the
but sam_" as that tern-
its overall of r
,4 Uranus. Therefore, scientists believe that
Voyager ;I olllpture¢l
Neptune must have SOlnCinternal heat,,f thisinbound view
its own, ;isdo Jupiter and ._aturn. ofNeptune ondTri-
tonon May Ii, 1988
Ncptune'sseasonslast inorc than from685million
40 years. Its rotational axis is tilted about kilometers (426 mil-
lion miles).
_)0degrees to tilt" plane of its orbit around
tile Sun (Earth's axis tilts 2_.5 degrees).
At this phasc in Neptune's sojourn art)trod
the Sun, it is rummer in the southern
L-
Saturlt
L:c :_Ii.
"_ ur,,,,,,_
A'_'ptttm"
:= Neptune looms
" el)ova the aurfai=e
of Triton° where
Shallow pools of
liquid nitrogen
may form beneath
a thin almoepherlo
haze. (Reprinted.
With permiaaion
from National
Oaographlo M4ig.
azine lind artist
Paul Hudson,)
r!: t
4"I
i: t%k.,lsurclucllts tibtamcd by trat king t huld If thcrt, arc mcthanc ch)uds .n Ncp- / /
I tcaturcs includc tilt..idditi.nal ctk.cts .f tunc, thcy i_rd_;ibly ¢.ndcnsc at a prcssurc
i.;;!' .ltlnuspilcrit _inds. As Vll)'agcr 2 ilt-,il',.i lif abllut 2 biirs (twkc tilt. atnllisphcrit
l Nt.ptunc, tilt" pldnctiir.I, ' radi, ,lttrillllinl%' pressure lit sca level ,in liarth) and ii tt'lll-
iiilll, cxpcrinlcnt will dt.tcrlrlinc flit. nit,,tinn pcr;lturc _)fabout N5 kcMns ( - tll<i°l:).
rate\Vith
of tile
;in pl;lnt.t's
cquattirial.ntcri(ir. V(i.wl_cr 2's
levelradio
of 4signals can so
pr.bc
di;unctcr (it about prcssurc t() 5 bars, theret,_is;i a
.,.i
-t9, it)l) kilomc,'crs (),(),'qll) miles), Ncp- glltld thence (if detecting the basc c_i the
,_, t'unc is only slightly smallcr than [_ranus. methane tlouds, wlmh will indicatc the
But :',_ptunc is denser, indkatinu that it allltlunt of nacthanc in Neptune's atm.-
_; must contain ;t.l;trgcr quantity ill hcavicr spl,,t-rc. Altlit)ti/41i i)th,.r cloud layers, in-
' materials than does Unlnus. tluding watcr-kt _l:'uds, ;ire expected
LikcUranus, Neptune is believed t. bc dccpcr in the atmt_spl',c'rc, \41yagcr 2 will
tOlnl_t)scd prinlarilv .f ruck and melted imt bc able to dctctt thcnl. \Vhilc the
if'c, mixed with hydrligcn and hclium, spacctraft is in Neptune's sllado_._; it will :"
_." Thc combinatitin.f infrarcdand ra<.li,
d_- m-lncuvcrto prcciscl.v
trackthe mlrcr
:" scrvations will priividc a inc,lsurcmcnt of cd.tzc ill" the planet to cnablc Vo$'agcr's ra-
the relative amounts uf helium and hydro- dill signal tll pr.bc Neptune's aun.sphcrc.
r gcn ill Nci_tunc ;is ulnlparcd with the Thcrc is evidence tiler Neptune lilts ;1 Neptune'a interior
Is believed to con- t
!" ;lnliitlRt,% ill tilt" litJlcr <l_;15tOtlS Otltt'r piiill- nl;l_rit, tit field. ,iS du Mcrcur); Earth, Ilat of e mixture of
cts illld tilt" _un. Jupiter, _,lttll'FI, and [_rilntls. \4)va_cr 2 is melted lees and
• ' rook.
6 Dcspitc Ncptunc's rcm¢itcnc,s, ;istr_mo- nut likely t. pcnctratc the phlnct's n'hlg-
i mcrs havc bccn able t() learn a t_..w things nct_lsphcrc until flu: last day bcfbrc the
_,, ;lbout the phulct's atinil.Slq_crc. (Light spacctraft's th)scst aplmlach to flit' phulct.
crnittvd lind reflected from an attar)sphere
Giiltilln.% illfilrnlatitill abilut tilt. ;ltlllO-
i major ptirtiilns
_vilich (.'11111(.',% tit" _Ut'S
;Lilt{ tilt."phinct. Thc haze,
in a Ilhlttt'r ill" days " _ 4'_
or weeks, Iilily tiill.'iist el" nlt'tJhlilt' iCC
• "!i
"_+
Neptun_ has two known satellites, Triton If Triton is small--perhaps about area.
methane
quentltlu
may be
of ,
, *
'
_L_
...:... plane is at equator,
Neptune's an angle white
of about 20 degrees
Nereid's to
is at an very thin
hand, atmosphere.
Triton If', on the about
is larger--perhaps other ,.,eoe. ..=¢,_,P
_'" angle of about 30 degrees. 4,000 kih)meters (2,500 miles) in diam-
,' Triton completes one rotation nn its eter--then it is expected tohave a lower
_ axis in the same amount of time that it surface temperature and could have a
takes to circle Neptune, 5.88 Earth days. thicker atmosphere (which otherwise
Because the rotation rate is synchronized would have escaped to space long ago),
,
with its orbital period, the same hemi- and Voyager's cameras may not be able to %,"
sphere alg,ays faces Neptune. (Similarly, see the surface.
Larth's Moon is also in synchronous rota- Because Triton's size is uncertain, the
tion, keeping the same face toward Earth.) Voyager flight team has prepared primary
At an average distance of 354,600 kilo- and alternative designs for some observa-
meters (220,300 miles) from the center of tions. This strategy will allow a critical
its planer, Triton is nearly as far from decision just a few days before the en-
Neptune as the Moon is from Earth. Tri- counter, based on the latest information
ton is the only large moon in the solar available: if Triton is large and has a thick
system with a retrograde orbit; that is, atmosphere, observations will be concen- ,
it travels in the direction opposite the trated on the atmosphere; if Triton is
planet's rotation. Because of its retro- smaller and the atmosphere thin, observa-
grade orbit, Triton is spiraling slowly tions instead will be concentrated on the
toward Neptune. surface. The best Voyager images of Tri-
Triton is roughly the size of Earth's ton are expected to show fi:atures smaller
Moon. Estimates of'Triton's diameter than one mile.
range from 2,200 to 4,000 kilometers
(1,400 to 2,500 miles).
An hour before
opproaoh to Triton,
the field of view of
the narrow-angle
oamere will oover
an area about
700 kllometere
• _lP • •
""-_ --.
:i
-t
[ N .l, ,%,.g., .¢,.': ,_' ORIGINAL PAGE
_ COLOR PHOTOGRAPH .
Scientists hope that Voyager2's cam- V_yager2 is shitcd tl_ pass tim)ugh a Ncreid, whkh is Ix.t_vccn ";(10and
eras will be able to see the)ugh Trit.n's narrow area behind "l'rit.n where both the I, I00 kihmwters ( 190 and _')xOmik.s) in
i[ atmospilere to tile surface, where there is Sun and Earth will be hidden from view diameter, travels ar,_und Ncptullc in a I
methane frost or ice and solid or liquid fbr about .l minutes. During this time, highly elliptical orbit that ranges
ql[ nitrogen. Small quantities of methane tile ultraviolet spectr.nletcr on b,)ard from I,_90,()00 t() 9,(,_,5,0()0 kil.metcr._
":I may also be dissolved in ponds of liquid the spacecraft will study the satellite's (86IL()()0 t_) 5,990,000 miles>. V.y- i
!_ nitrogen. On the dark side of Triton, atln.sphere by viewing the Sun shining ager 2's cl.sest flyby distance to
":i Voyager 2 will look fbr temperature dif through Triton's atmosphere while, at the Nereid will be about .'i,655,000 kilo-
liquid bodies. (Since liquids cool more will probe the atmosphere to determine range, Voyager inay discern bright and
slowly than. fine-grained solids, warmer temperature and pressure levels. Just days dark areas on Nereid's surface.
i ferences
areas on that may side
the dark indicate
mightthebeexistence
liquid.) of same
betbrc time,
closesttheal_proach,
spacecraft's radio beams
navigators will meters (2,890,000 miles). Even at that
Triton's seasonal cycle is complex and instruct Voyager 2 to fine-tune its flight
extreme because of the combined effects path to target fi)r this area of Triton's
of its orbit and its rotation. Each of shadow; this adjustment will be based on
Triton's poles spends hmg periods in the best estimates of the location and size
darkness, where temperatures are ex- of Triton and on the gravitational effects
tremely low and most molecules are of Neptune on the flight path.
fi'ozen. Where the Sun is directly over-
head on Triton, the temperature is near Hea_ngbelowthe
_'" the freezing point of liquid nitrogen e_-Iipti¢.
will, look VoyagerZ
baok at
Both Voyager sl_accctaf'_have survivcd ill is s. weak thai lilt" s.Jar palwls IIVCdud Narrow-Angle / j
i spacef.ralmost12 yearsand,alth.ugh t.paver spacutrai_ w-uld be t..large Camera
eachhasexperienced
some hardware t.launch."l'herefi)rc,
eachV.yagcris
f.filures,
theyarestill
ingood healthand p.wercdby threenuclear
gcncrat.rs
called
Wide -Angle
Four of the mvestigations use optical whicla now can receive only a limited
._.i investigation, spacecraft relies on a backup receiver, In-trument
form at the end of a short boom. These ager 2's me'able instrument platf_rm is speotr_meter
end Radlon_ter y
and
violetthespectrometer,
infrared interlbrometer spat-
the photopolarimetcr, lees,
Saturn Voyager 2 has peril)reed
flyby. Despite these prob- onerQea Pertlala
_,.: trometer and radiometer. The fields of successfully at Jupiter, F.xperlment
view of these optical instruments are Saturn, and Uranus.
=:, aligned to view nearly the same scene
simultaneously and "heretbre to acquire ll
::" complementary data. High-Gain Antenna ....
"" through _ _
whkh it re- _ ]
1
ccives c()mnlands from Earth and trans-
Rlidlolsotope ]
mils data back. The spacecratt's r,tdi_ Thi_moeleot_o
Sigllal is als(_ used its it scientific t..l t. ._ --
ii1,,,,,,_1_ _ , OtnlrltorI 131
,_ The c.mlaunicati.ns link with the .space- 19_(), the largest antc.,nas halt all bccn Parkcs _ill .mc ,,#,till Iw hnkcd _ilh (,m i
_ . craft is I_rovidcd by a systt.m of'dlrcc enlarged from 6.1 t. 70 mt.tcrs (210 t() bcrnL whilr the VI.A _vlll lit' art.trod _vlth ,
lltqtr
- r _
r:Mi.-tclcsc()pc complexes h)catcd arm.nd 2_,0 It.ut) ill dianwter. Als. sintc 198(_, a (h&ht.nc, I_ars_w, (i,llih_rma 'llw
_.
i
_i the w_rld; this system is NASA's new _4-metcr (I 12-ti).t) diamt.ter al_teillla t Istida alllt•l_ hi will pr,_vidt • addltl_)lhd
Deep Space Netw.rk (I)SN), inana,_,t,t'd by Jlas been built at the Madrid staff.n, tratkJHg lbr lilt' t rititill r.tdlq, st it.lilt, ii]_-
JPL. These complexes arc Stnltegically 1o- matching the c.nfiguratiol) rhat exists at scrvati()ns durlllg t lost.st .tpl_roitth.
: . i cated near 1'_rstow (Jalifi)rnia; Madrid, the Califbrnian and Australian t()mplcxcs. The. Parkcs Riidi_) ()bscrvat.rv ix ,.i,t•r-
i_ Spain; and (Janberra, Australia, so that at The DSN can ;lisa increase the data atcd by tile (.(,nm_lnwcalth ht icmltlt' ,_l_d
all times, as the Earth rotates, at least one return by combining the spacecraft sag- Industrial Rcscarth ()rganlzati.n I(.._IR()).
;: :.
ORIGINAL; PAGE
i As spacecraft travel farther from Earth, longer to gather more light. Combined
i the rate at which the DSN antennas can with the motion of both the spacecraft
l reliably receive the data decreases. For and the target billy this can result in
example, during Voyager 2's Jupiter en- badly smeared images.
counter, when the spacecraft was over Several methods to reduce image smear
900 million kilometers (about 560 have been developed: image-motion corn-
million miles) from Earth, the highest pensation, steadying the spacecraft, and
data rate was 115,200 bits per second. At new procedures on the ground and on
Neptune, nearly 4V2 billion kilometers the spacecraft.
(3 billion miles) from Earth, the highest Three techniques have been developed ':'
data rate will be 21,600 bits per second, to compensate for the motion of the
To increase the amount of data that can spacecraft and its targets during imaging. Image-motion
oom-
peneatlon taoh-
be reliably returned, flight engineers They include continuously turning the en- nlquei rasultedlna
have devised ways to reduce the number tire spacecraft to track the target during a dramatl=Improva- '
of bits required to transmit images. These series of exposures, "nodding" the space- meritIn
luUon thereao-
obtained of
include changing the way tile spacecraft craft to track the target only during each theUranlanmoon
Miranda.
_,_ encodes the data betbre it is edited, exposure, or slowly moving tilt* instru-
compressed, and transmitted, ment platform during an exposure.
LATE UPDATES
_L
must pertorm
very late in tilea encounter
number ofactivities
period, often F_arthattdStotsl_adOt_
shad0_
S_ n and l_a'P,h Voyager I will dive
over the north pole
altitude of about
4,1180 kllometero
(3,000 mllee).
of Neptune at an _ l,:!
............... _............ _ ....... -.......... _ Jr
d
i ), _eW., ' .
I • .t_I
j,
Voyager 2 is also being steadied as an Qround-based
Images of Neptune, -.s ,
observing platform. Normally, tilL"space takenovera P." I
--. A third effort to gain the best images Images. taken at %_,
8900 angstrome.
j't
• ,e/ ffllq'
"r "._I - --
t!V ,.,
: '. w
--i.
Oloude orl Neptune
were eeen in
ground*based _
images In liE3,
.
--_
I
(R. Terrlle, JPL,
I. Smith, Univ. ,,_
.2'
' !
f
E of krl,,ona.)
_:',""'.,,,_ .........
! r
After Neptune, the Voyager spacecraft superbolts of lightning slice the air, and partially brought about by the breath-
planetary encounters will be over. Only auroras light up the horizota for thousands taking views of other worlds sent back by
one planet in the solar system remains of miles. Worlds vastly different from the Voyagers, of Earth as a planet, and a
," unvisited_ Pluto_and neither of the our own. very fragile one.
Voyagers can change its course to visit And yet, our planet has much in corn- Perhaps this is the legacy of Voyager, so
! that planet, mon with these others. We receive energy well expressed by the poet T.S. Eliot:
But the Voyager missions will continue from the same Sun. Physical processes_
_: as the two spacecraft hurtle onward gravity, chemistry, and geology _ obey We shall not ,'easefirm/ exploration
through space, one above the ecliptic and the same laws. But in comparison with
And the end of all oar exploring
one below, searching for the edge of the these other worlds, Earth is uniq.ue: it
heliosphere--the heliopause, which is the supports life. Will be to arrire u'h_: u'e started
outer boundary of the Sun's energy influ- Much has happened on Earth since the A.nd knou' the place for the first time.
ence. Crossing the heliopause, perhaps Voyagers left--social change, political
early in the next century, they will enter uprisings, technological advances, natural
true interstellar space. These spacecraft disasters. But possibly the most important
may give us the first direct measurements change has been our growing
of the environment outside our solar sys- awareness,
tern, including interstellar magnetic fields
and charged particles.
o
P
4
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