The 7 and 25 June 1985 Neptune occultations - Constraints on the putative Neptune 'arc'
Data were obtained on stellar occultations by Neptune on June 7 and 25, 1985 in an attempt to validate previous data which supported the presence of a ring-like 'arc' near the planet. The data were taken with an IR photometer at the South African Astronomical Observatory using continuous measurements at 2.2 microns. One dip was observed in the light curve of an occulted binary star. The dip was similar to a previously observed dip and, because no dip was seen for the companion star, indicated a discontinuous structure. Two estimates, around 62,600 and 63,760 km, are made for the equatorial radius of the potential arc structure, which may be discontinuous on a scale of a few thousand kilometers.