| Telescope: | Canada-France-Hawaii telescope, f/36 focus |
| Date: | August 12, 1995 at 10h 38m (UT) |
| Instrument: | University of Hawaii 13-channel AO system and HgCdTe infrared camera. |
| Wavelength: | K-band (2.2 microns) |
| Total exposure: | 4 x 5 minutes (derotated) |
| Scale: | Neptune's diameter was 2".4 |
| Orientation: | North is up. East is left |
| Observers: | A. Brahic, C. Dumas, J. E. Graves, M. Northcott, T. Owen, C. Roddier, and F. Roddier |
High altitude clouds are seen here against a dark methane band atmospheric
absorption. Since Voyager 2 observations, low latitude (<30 deg) cloud
activity has clearly shifted from the south to the north hemisphere.
Proteus was discovered by Voyager 2. It is observed here for the first time
in the infrared from the ground (above and slightly to the right of Neptune). Its is as dark in the K band as it is in the visible with a geometric albedo of 0.06 (Planetary & Space Science, Vol. 45, special issue on Neptune).
