SIMBAD references

We present the first published spatially resolved images of Neptune's thermal emission. Our 7.7 and 11.7 µm images, taken on 2005 July 4 and 5 at the Gemini North telescope, show enhanced methane and ethane emission within 30° of the south pole. This bright polar region is the first direct imaging evidence for radiative forcing of Neptune's stratosphere, similar to that seen on Saturn. Enhanced emission from ethane, but not methane, also emerges from the planetary limb, suggesting differing vertical profiles. Stratospheric emissions are uncorrelated with tropospheric clouds seen in reflected sunlight in our near-simultaneous adaptive optics images at 1.6 and 2.2 µm taken with the Keck II telescope on 2005 July 5.