3.Neptune's strange temperature fluctuations

Neptune, the solar system's most distant planet (take it up with the astronomical union, we love Pluto, too) is tilted in a similar way to Earth, meaning that it experiences seasonal changes as it makes its slow revolution around the Sun.

 

 

Unlike Earth, those seasons can last an incredibly long time. One orbit around the Sun takes roughly 165 earth years, meaning that each season can last for decades. Recent observations looking at decades of data from Neptune during its summer season revealed something unexpected about the planet's global temperatures.

 

Instead of getting warmer, astronomers at the University of Leicester observed that the planet had actually cooled about 8 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the southern pole was observed to undergo a temperature increase of 11 degrees Celsius.

 

As yet, it's unclear why Neptune's temperatures aren't matching our expectations. Scientists plan to continue observing as the planet moves into a new season, in the hope of unraveling whatever strange environmental phenomena are happening there.