Neptune is one of the four large planets in our Solar System known as Gas Giants. It is the eighth planet in order from the Sun, and was seen through a telescope for the first time on the 23rd of September 1846. Keeping to the traditional naming system used for all the previous planets, Neptune was given its name based on the Roman god of the sea, in reference to Greek and Roman mythology.
General Information:
Neptune has a vivid blue colouration to its layer of cloud cover. Higher absorption levels of red light caused by methane in its atmosphere is thought to be the cause of this bright blue tint.
Scientists have found that Neptune and Uranus are more likely to be ice giants rather than gas giants, making them different to Saturn and …show more content…
Earth sized storms continuously rage in the Neptune’s atmosphere. Winds on Neptune can reach up to 1,500 kilometers per hour, which is the fastest on any planet. The heat inside the planet causes these violent conditions. Temperatures in Neptune range from around -220ºC on the cloud surface, to a core that measures up to an absurd 7,000ºC. This is even hotter than the Sun’s surface, which is in comparison, only around 5,505ºC.
History:
Neptune was the first time that a planet’s existence was actually predicted before it was even seen through a telescope. This could be done through the use of mathematical calculations. Alexis Bouvard, a French Astronomer at the time, had managed to observe irregularities in Uranus’ orbit, suggesting that this may be due to another celestial body. Johann Galle (a German astronomer), through the use of subsequent calculations, led to locating Neptune with a telescope. It is believed that Galileo Galilei had previously sketched the planet, but had mistaken it for a star because of its very slow movement. …show more content…
The length of one Neptune day is 19 Earth hours, its mass is 17.1 times that of Earth’s, It’s density is 1.71, where water equals one, and it has a total of six rings.
Although not as significant as Saturn’s rings, Neptune also has a planetary ring system. They are composed from particles of silicate-coated ice, and carbon based substances, which causes them to appear reddish in colour. Edward Guinan and his team discovered the first of the rings in 1968. In 1984, a stellar occultation (when a stellar object blocks the view of another object positioned in the background) occurred, where Neptune’s rings obscured a star in a particular way, giving evidence that the planet’s rings may have
General Information:
Neptune has a vivid blue colouration to its layer of cloud cover. Higher absorption levels of red light caused by methane in its atmosphere is thought to be the cause of this bright blue tint.
Scientists have found that Neptune and Uranus are more likely to be ice giants rather than gas giants, making them different to Saturn and …show more content…
Earth sized storms continuously rage in the Neptune’s atmosphere. Winds on Neptune can reach up to 1,500 kilometers per hour, which is the fastest on any planet. The heat inside the planet causes these violent conditions. Temperatures in Neptune range from around -220ºC on the cloud surface, to a core that measures up to an absurd 7,000ºC. This is even hotter than the Sun’s surface, which is in comparison, only around 5,505ºC.
History:
Neptune was the first time that a planet’s existence was actually predicted before it was even seen through a telescope. This could be done through the use of mathematical calculations. Alexis Bouvard, a French Astronomer at the time, had managed to observe irregularities in Uranus’ orbit, suggesting that this may be due to another celestial body. Johann Galle (a German astronomer), through the use of subsequent calculations, led to locating Neptune with a telescope. It is believed that Galileo Galilei had previously sketched the planet, but had mistaken it for a star because of its very slow movement. …show more content…
The length of one Neptune day is 19 Earth hours, its mass is 17.1 times that of Earth’s, It’s density is 1.71, where water equals one, and it has a total of six rings.
Although not as significant as Saturn’s rings, Neptune also has a planetary ring system. They are composed from particles of silicate-coated ice, and carbon based substances, which causes them to appear reddish in colour. Edward Guinan and his team discovered the first of the rings in 1968. In 1984, a stellar occultation (when a stellar object blocks the view of another object positioned in the background) occurred, where Neptune’s rings obscured a star in a particular way, giving evidence that the planet’s rings may have