LOCAL : Astronomers Surprised to Find Complete Ring Around Neptune

Astronomers who predicted that Neptune would not have rings were surprised today to discover a faint but complete ring around the planet in pictures sent by Voyager 2.

Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory first hailed the image on Voyager’s photos as the rediscovery of the “ghost arc,” a partial ring identified by the Voyager 2 spacecraft Aug. 11, but further analysis showed that the arc was a continuous ring around the planet.

“It is Neptune’s first ring,” said Bradford Smith, leader of the spacecraft imaging team. “The inner arc, the one we were unable to find since the discovery (Aug. 11) images, is there, and it is continuous, all the way around.”