'It has been three decades since we last saw these faint, dusty rings, and this is the first time we've seen them in the infrared,' said a Neptune expert.
. The planet and its neighbor Uranus are known as "ice giants" because their interiors are made up of heavier elements than the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, which are richer in hydrogen and helium.
Also visible in the images are methane-ice clouds -- bright streaks and spots that reflect sunlight before it is absorbed by methane gas. It's also possible to spot a bright, thin line circling the planet's equator, which could be "a visual signature of global atmospheric circulation that powers Neptune's winds and storms," according to the release.
Located 30 times farther from the sun than Earth, Neptune moves through its solar orbit in the remote, dark region of the outer solar system. At that distance, the sun is so small and faint that noon on Neptune is similar to a dim twilight on Earth, the news release said.
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