Neptune is the farthest planet in the Solar System...(that should be like, "ummm, I know that already" fact. Neptune is the smallest gas planet. But here’s the funny thing: Neptune is actually more massive than Uranus by about 18%. Since it’s smaller but more massive, Neptune has a much higher density than Uranus. Neptune is a ball of gas and ice, probably with a rocky core. There’s no way you could actually stand on the surface of Neptune without just sinking in. However, if you could stand on the surface of Neptune, you would notice something amazing. The force of gravity pulling you down is almost exactly the same as the force of gravity you feel walking here on Earth. The first person to have seen Neptune was likely Galileo, who marked it as a star in one of his drawings. However, since he did not identify it as a planet, he is not credited with the discovery. That credit goes to French mathematician Urbain Le Verrier and the English mathematician John Couch Adams, both of whom predicted that a new planet – known as Planet X – would be discovered in a specific region of the sky. When astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle actually found the planet in 1846, both mathematicians took credit for the discovery. English and French astronomers battled over who made the discovery first, and there are still defenders of each claim to this day. Today, the consensus among astronomers is that Le Verrier and Adams deserve equal credit for the discovery. Think a hurricane is scary? Imagine a hurricane with winds that go up to 1,304 miles/hour. As you can probably imagine, scientists are puzzled how an icy cold planet like Neptune can get its cloud tops to move so fast. One idea is that the cold temperatures and the flow of fluid gasses in the planet’s atmosphere might reduce friction to the point that it’s easy to generate winds that move so quickly. When people think of ring systems, Saturn is usually the planet that comes to mind. But would it surprise you to know that Neptune has a ring system as well? Unfortunately, it is rather difficult to observe compared to Saturn’s bright, bold ring; which is why it is not so well-recognized. In total, Neptune has five rings, all of which are named after astronomers who made important discoveries about Neptune – Galle, Le Verrier, Lassell, Arago, and Adams. These rings are composed of at least 20% dust (with some containing as much as 70%) which are micrometer-sized, similar to the particles that make up the rings of Jupiter. The rest of the ring materials consists of small rocks. The planet’s rings are difficult to see because they are dark, which is likely due to the presence of organic compounds that have been altered due to exposition to cosmic radiation. This is similar to the rings of Uranus, but very different than the icy rings around Saturn. Neptune’s largest Moon, Triton, circles Neptune in a retrograde orbit. That’s means that it orbits the planet backwards relative to Neptune’s other moons. This is seen as an indication that Neptune probably captured Triton – for example the moon didn’t form in place like the rest of Neptune’s moons. Triton is locked into a synchronous rotation with Neptune, and is slowly spiraling inward towards the planet. At some point, billions of years from now, Triton will likely will be torn apart by Neptune’s gravitational forces and become a magnificent ring around the planet. This ring will be pulled inward and crash into the planet. It is too bad that such an event will be happening so very long from now, because it would be amazing to watch! There's no plans to visit Neptune in the future...bummer, it's a really pretty blue color. Hopefully there will be interest in the future to learn about Neptune and its moons.
17 Comments
jenna
12/5/2016 03:27:18 pm
cool neptune is better than i thought
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Tyler
12/5/2016 05:02:49 pm
That's pretty cool🌐
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sydney
12/5/2016 05:04:43 pm
neptune has a rock core!?!?!?!!!!!
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Ema Martinez
12/5/2016 05:17:38 pm
I never knew that Neptune is the smallest gas planet! Neptune really does have a pretty blue color. I liked the 1st and last pics. Neptune is so interesting! :)
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Emmalee
12/5/2016 05:32:41 pm
Cool! Neptune is so amazing!
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Katelyn Ashton
12/5/2016 05:40:17 pm
Neptune is going to have a blue blue Christmas
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Alivia
12/5/2016 06:44:26 pm
Neptune is my favorite planet
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Addie J
12/5/2016 07:13:51 pm
thats so cool!
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Tabitha
12/5/2016 08:36:30 pm
Doesn't it appear blue because of the methane gas.
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Brady Tibbett
12/5/2016 08:41:26 pm
Neptune is very interesting. Neptune is small compared to Jupiter.
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Haley
12/5/2016 09:48:54 pm
I would not want to be in a hurricane on Neptune!
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Paige
12/5/2016 10:07:30 pm
Wow Neptune is very interesting and it is a very pretty color!
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Addi
12/6/2016 12:01:25 am
Neptune was always my favorite planet (other than earth) if I stood on Neptune I would just sink in......😢
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Zaya
12/6/2016 07:10:06 am
Neptune is amazing!
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Brady Tibbett
12/6/2016 07:12:23 am
I didn't know Neptune had a solid core. I thought that it was just a ball of gas floating around in space. Now that I think about...
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |