Naming the planet: Neptune is named after the Roman god of the Sea because of its bluish appearance.ġ6. Diameter and Mass: Neptune is the fourth largest planet in terms of diameter and third largest in terms of mass.ġ5. No solid surface: because Neptune is a gas giant, there is no solid surface on Neptune for a spacecraft to land on the planet.ġ4. It is estimated that Triton, after a few billion years, will eventually be torn apart by the planet’s gravitational force and a ring will be formed as a result.ġ3. Today’s moon, Tomorrow’s ring: Triton is slowly spiraling inward towards the planet. It is the only large moon in the solar system that has a retrograde orbit.ġ2. Neptune’s biggest moon: Triton, Neptune’s biggest moon, revolves in an opposite direction to that of Neptune’s other moons. Image credit – Lunar and Planetary Instituteġ1. Moons are many: Neptune has thirteen (13) officially confirmed moons and one unconfirmed moon. However, these rings vary in thicknesses and are supposed to be short-lived and relatively young.ġ0. These rings were confirmed by Voyager 2 in 1989. How many rings? Neptune has 6 known rings. Uranus, on the other hand, is greenish-blue.ĩ. Which color? the characteristic color of Neptune is blue which is due to the presence of Methane on the planet. Magnetic field: Neptune’s magnetic field is 27 times more powerful than that of the Earth.Ĩ. Pluto vs Neptune: during the time Neptune makes three orbits around the Sun, Pluto makes two.ħ. Around the Sun: Neptune takes 165 Earth years to complete its orbit around the sun.Ħ. Sighting the planet in the sky: Neptune cannot be seen in the sky with the naked eye because of its extreme distance from the Earth.ĥ. Galileo had predicted the presence of a star in his drawings however he did not conclude that it was actually a planet.Ĥ. Discovery: Neptune was not known to the ancients, and until 1846, its position was determined with the help of mathematical predictions. Ice or Gas? Neptune is the smallest of the ice giants. However, once again, in 2006, when Pluto was re-classified as a dwarf planet, Neptune became the most distant planet from the Sun. (Order of the planets from the sun: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto (the dwarf planet).Ģ. However, in 1930, after the discovery of Pluto, the title of the most distance planet from the Sun was snatched from Neptune and was given to Pluto. Location: Neptune is the eight and the farthest planet from the sun. With these 30 facts about Neptune, let us learn more about it.ġ. Neptune has some features and characteristics that set it apart from the other planets. It is among the eight planets in the solar system.
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