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important points In My Own Words
Average distance 2.795 billion miles
distance from the sun
from Sun
(4.498 billion km)
Diameter (width)
30,779 miles
equator
at equator
(49,532 km)
After the
discovery of
Uranus, it was
noticed that its
orbit was not as it
should be in
accordance with
Newton's laws. It
was therefore
predicted that
another more
distant planet
must be
perturbing
Extra Info
Uranus' orbit.
Neptune was first
observed by Galle
and d'Arrest on
1846 Sept 23 very
near to the
locations
independently
predicted by
Adams and Le
Verrier from
calculations
based on the
observed
positions of
Jupiter, Saturn
Extra Info
and Uranus.
Website Address
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
date
Extra Info
extra Info
Neptune's rings
have been given
names: the
outermost is
Adams (which
contains three
prominent arcs
now named
Liberty, Equality
and Fraternity),
next is an
unnamed ring coorbital with
Galatea, then
Leverrier (whose
outer extensions
are called Lassell
and Arago), and
finally the faint but
broad Galle
Neptune's
magnetic field is,
like Uranus', oddly
oriented and
probably
generated by
motions of
conductive
material (probably
water) in its
middle layers.
http://ryethirdgradersinspace.wikispaces.
com/
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
extra info
Neptune can be
seen with
binoculars (if you
know exactly
where to look) but
a large telescope
is needed to see
anything other
than a tiny disk.
There are several
Web sites that
show the current
position of
Neptune (and the
other planets) in
the sky, but much
more detailed
charts will be
required to
actually find it.
Such charts can
be created with a
planetarium
program.
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
extra info
The three
features visible
here are among
the most
interesting on
Neptune. At the
top is the Great
Dark Spot,
accompanied by
bright, white
clouds that
change rapidly
with time. Below
the dark spot is a
bright feature that
scientists
nicknamed
"Scooter." Below
Scooter is the
Small Dark Spot.
All three features
move eastward at
different
velocities, so it is
rare that they can
all be
photographed
together.
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
extra info
On its approach
to Neptune in
August 1989,
Voyager 2
captured this
image of the
fourth and
outermost of the
giant gas planets.
This image shows
two of the four
oval cloud
features tracked
by the cameras.
The large dark
oval near the left
edge revolves
around Neptune
every 18 hours.
The bright clouds
immediately to the
south and east of
this oval
substantially
change their
appearance in
periods as short
as 4 hours. The
second dark spot,
at lower right
edge, revolves
around Neptune
every 16 hours.
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
Extra info
Extra Info
Neptune has
been visited by
only one
spacecraft,
Voyager 2 on Aug
25 1989. Much of
we know about
Neptune comes
from this single
encounter. But
fortunately, recent
ground-based and
HST observations
have added a
great deal, too.
Because Pluto's
orbit is so
eccentric, it
sometimes
crosses the orbit
of Neptune
making Neptune
the most distant
planet from the
Sun for a few
years.
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
Extra info
Extra info
Neptune's
composition is
probably similar to
Uranus': various
"ices" and rock
with about 15%
hydrogen and a
little helium. Like
Uranus, but unlike
Jupiter and
Saturn, it may not
have a distinct
internal layering
but rather to be
more or less
uniform in
composition. But
there is most
likely a small core
(about the mass
of the Earth) of
rocky material. Its
atmosphere is
mostly hydrogen
and helium with a
small amount of
methane.
Like a typical gas
planet, Neptune
has rapid winds
confined to bands
of latitude and
large storms or
vortices.
Neptune's winds
are the fastest in
the solar system,
reaching 2000
km/hour.
http://nineplanets.
org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
Extra info
Extra info
More than two
centuries earlier,
in 1613, Galileo
observed
Neptune when it
happened to be
very near Jupiter,
but he thought it
was just a star.
On two
successive nights
he actually
noticed that it
moved slightly
with respect to
another nearby
star. But on the
subsequent nights
it was out of his
field of view. Had
he seen it on the
previous few
nights Neptune's
motion would
have been
obvious to him.
But, alas, cloudy
skies prevented
observations on
those few critical
days.
Like Uranus and
Jupiter, Neptune's
rings are very
dark but their
composition is
unknown
http://nineplanets.
org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
Extra info
Extra info
Neptune has 13
known moons; 7
small named ones
and Triton plus
four discovered in
2002 and one
discovered in
2003
Had the search
for the planet
taken place a few
years earlier or
later it would not
have been found
anywhere near
the predicted
location.
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
Extra info
At the time of the
Voyager
encounter,
Neptune's most
prominent feature
was the Great
Dark Spot (left) in
the southern
hemisphere. It
was about half the
size as Jupiter's
Great Red Spot
(about the same
diameter as
Earth). Neptune's
winds blew the
Great Dark Spot
westward at 300
meters/second
(700 mph).
Voyager 2 also
saw a smaller
dark spot in the
southern
hemisphere and a
small irregular
white cloud that
zips around
Neptune every 16
hours or so now
known as "The
Scooter" (right). It
may be a plume
rising from lower
in the
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
Extra info
Like Jupiter and
Saturn, Neptune
has an internal
heat source -- it
radiates more
than twice as
much energy as it
receives from the
Sun.
grativy
Gravity
mass
moons
neptune
neptune
temperature
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.htmlhttp:
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1.13 x Earth’s
gravity
17.2 x Earth’s
mass
11
Mass
Number of moons
Neptune's blue
color is largely the
result of
absorption of red
light by methane
in the atmosphere
but there is some
additional as-yetunidentified
chromophore
which gives the
clouds their rich
blue tint.
In Neptune's
atmosphere, there
is a large white
cloud that moves
around rather
quickly. The
"scooting" of this
cloud around the
atmosphere has
led it to be named
"Scooter."
Cloudtop
temperature
–328°F (–200°C)
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html
time
time to orbet the sun
Time to spin
around own axis
Time to orbit Sun
16.11 hours
164.8 years
http://nineplanets.org/neptune.html