Scanning through different colours of Neptune with MUSE

This animation shows Neptune observed with the MUSE instrument at ESO’s Very Large Telescope. At each pixel within Neptune, MUSE splits the incoming light into its constituent colours or wavelengths. This is similar to obtaining images at thousands of different wavelengths all at once, which provides a wealth of valuable information to astronomers.

In this animation we scan through all these different wavelengths, revealing different dark and bright features. Based on the wavelengths where these features are most prominent, astronomers can figure out what causes them and how deep within Neptune’s atmosphere they are located.