The ice-giant Neptune, the most distant and third largest planet in our solar system, is a distinctive dark blue ball of gas, which may appear calm but is actually throttled by a chaotic atmosphere. It's actually the windiest place in our solar system. Despite earning the label "ice-giant" in part because of its massive size (and also because it is primarily composed of elements heavier than hydrogen and helium), Neptune is far enough away from Earth that our astronomers continue making new discoveries of this enigmatic world.
For example, researchers from colleges like the University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University and the University of Leicester believe they have finally cracked a mystery that has bedeviled astronomers since 2019: The enigma of Neptune's vanishing clouds.
