Neptune
Below is a picture of Neptune's ring system. As you can see, like Jupiter
and Uranus, Neptune's rings are faint and few, only 4 rings encircle
Neptune.
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 co-orbital with
Galatea, then Leverrier (whose outer extensions are called Lassell and Arago), and finally the
faint but broad Galle. Unlike Saturn's rings, Neptune's are made of only tiny particles of matter.
In the above-right picture the bright circle of Neptune has been blacked out so you can see it's
rings easier.
Neptune
- Neptune was discovered in 1846 by Gallo and d'Arrest. 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. 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.
- It's winds are the fastest in the solar system, blowing
at speeds of up to 1120 km/h (700 mph)! To give you an idea of
how fast that is, the tornados on Earth contain winds up to
and the hurricanes on Earth have winds only up to !
- The rings of Jupiter, Neptune, and Uranus were all discovered after 1977.
- It atmosphere is comprised mainly of Methane, Hydrogen
and Helium.
- Neptune also has a small rocky inner core.
- Like Uranus, Neptune appears blue because of the high
concentration of Methane gas in it's atmosphere.
- Past the gases on Neptune you will find a dark ocean of water,
Ammonia and Methane
- Named after the Roman god of the sea because of it's blue
sea-like appearance and because scientists think Neptune is mostly
liquid.
- Has 8 named, major moons. Some are so small that scientists
call them moonlets.
- It's moon Triton is the coldest body in the solar system,
reaching temperatures lower than -240°C!
- Even though Neptune is much further from the sun than Uranus'
it is not as cold because it generates it's own heat.
- It takes Neptune 165 years to orbit the sun!
- A large white cloud 'Scoots' around Neptune every 16 hours it
is aptly named Scooter.
- Neptune also has a stormy spot, like Jupiter, called the Great
Dark Spot. This storm is roughly the same size as Earth.
To Neptune's Moons
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