Neptune
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The distant blue planet of the Solar System
Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun and the farthest planet in the solar-system. It is one of the two ice giants, along with uranus. Neptune was named after the Roman god of the sea because of its deep blue color. It was discovered in 1846, making it the first planet found using mathematics before being seen through a telescope. The planet cannot be seen with the naked eye from earth because it is so far away.
Neptune is similar in size and makeup to Uranus, but it is slightly smaller and more massive. It is about four times wider than Earth and made mostly of hydrogen, helium, and icy materials such as water, ammonia, and methane. The methane in its atmosphere gives Neptune its blue color by absorbing red light and reflecting blue light. Neptune’s atmosphere also has clouds and bands, which are caused by strong winds that can reach speeds over 2,000 kilometers per hour—the fastest winds in the Solar System.
The planet has large storms that come and go over time. One of the most famous was the Great Dark Spot, a giant storm system that was first observed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. This storm was similar to jupiter’s Great Red Spot but darker in color. Later, new storms were seen forming and disappearing, showing that Neptune’s atmosphere is very active and constantly changing.
Neptune has a set of faint rings made of dark dust and ice particles. These rings are much thinner and dimmer than those of saturn. The planet also has at least 14 known moons. The largest of these is Triton, which moves around Neptune in the opposite direction of the planet’s rotation. Triton is covered with frozen nitrogen and has geysers that shoot icy material into space, making it one of the most unusual moons in the Solar System.
A day on Neptune lasts about 16 Earth hours, but its year is very long—it takes about 165 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. Because of its great distance, sunlight is 900 times weaker on Neptune than on Earth. Despite being far away and extremely cold, Neptune still gives off more heat than it receives from the Sun.
The only spacecraft to visit Neptune so far is Voyager 2, which passed by the planet in 1989. It sent back pictures and data about Neptune’s atmosphere, rings, and moons. Since then, astronomers have studied Neptune using telescopes on Earth and in space. Studying Neptune helps scientists understand the outer parts of the Solar System and how planets far from the Sun behave.
Neptune is similar in size and makeup to Uranus, but it is slightly smaller and more massive. It is about four times wider than Earth and made mostly of hydrogen, helium, and icy materials such as water, ammonia, and methane. The methane in its atmosphere gives Neptune its blue color by absorbing red light and reflecting blue light. Neptune’s atmosphere also has clouds and bands, which are caused by strong winds that can reach speeds over 2,000 kilometers per hour—the fastest winds in the Solar System.
The planet has large storms that come and go over time. One of the most famous was the Great Dark Spot, a giant storm system that was first observed by the Voyager 2 spacecraft in 1989. This storm was similar to jupiter’s Great Red Spot but darker in color. Later, new storms were seen forming and disappearing, showing that Neptune’s atmosphere is very active and constantly changing.
Neptune has a set of faint rings made of dark dust and ice particles. These rings are much thinner and dimmer than those of saturn. The planet also has at least 14 known moons. The largest of these is Triton, which moves around Neptune in the opposite direction of the planet’s rotation. Triton is covered with frozen nitrogen and has geysers that shoot icy material into space, making it one of the most unusual moons in the Solar System.
A day on Neptune lasts about 16 Earth hours, but its year is very long—it takes about 165 Earth years to complete one orbit around the Sun. Because of its great distance, sunlight is 900 times weaker on Neptune than on Earth. Despite being far away and extremely cold, Neptune still gives off more heat than it receives from the Sun.
The only spacecraft to visit Neptune so far is Voyager 2, which passed by the planet in 1989. It sent back pictures and data about Neptune’s atmosphere, rings, and moons. Since then, astronomers have studied Neptune using telescopes on Earth and in space. Studying Neptune helps scientists understand the outer parts of the Solar System and how planets far from the Sun behave.
What We Can Learn
- Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and an ice giant.
- It has a deep blue color caused by methane gas.
- The planet has strong winds and dark storms like the Great Dark Spot.
- Triton is Neptune’s largest moon and orbits in the opposite direction.
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