Neptune, Eighth planet from the Sun, discovered in 1846 and named for the Roman god of the sea. It has an average distance from the Sun of 2.8 billion mi (4.5 billion km), taking nearly 164 years to complete one orbit and rotating every 16.11 hours. Neptune has more than 17 times Earth’s mass, 58 times its volume, and 12% stronger gravity at the top of its atmosphere. It has an equatorial diameter of 30,775 mi (49,528 km). Neptune consists largely of hydrogen and helium. It has no solid surface; its interior is believed to consist of a fluid mixture of rock, ices, and gas. Its atmosphere contains substantial amounts of methane gas, whose absorption of red light causes Neptune’s deep blue-green colour. The Voyager 2 space probe in 1989 discovered winds of over 1,570 mi/hour (700 m/second), the fastest known for any of the Sun’s planets, and dark spots that appear to be storms similar to Jupiter’s Great Red Spot. Neptune receives little solar radiation, but it radiates substantially more energy than it receives, which indicates an internal heat source. Neptune’s weak magnetic field traps charged particles in a belt around the planet. Neptune has a system of rings, made up largely of dust-size particles, and at least 13 moons; the largest is Triton, almost as big as Earth’s Moon.
Neptune Article
Neptune summary
Below is the article summary. For the full article, see Neptune.
Triton Summary
Triton, largest of Neptune’s moons, whose unusual orbital characteristics suggest that it formed elsewhere in the solar system and was later captured by Neptune. It was discovered by the English astronomer William Lassell in October 1846, only a few weeks after the discovery of Neptune itself.
solar system Summary
Solar system, assemblage consisting of the Sun—an average star in the Milky Way Galaxy—and those bodies orbiting around it: 8 (formerly 9) planets with more than 210 known planetary satellites (moons); many asteroids, some with their own satellites; comets and other icy bodies; and vast reaches of
Sun Summary
Sun, star around which Earth and the other components of the solar system revolve. It is the dominant body of the system, constituting more than 99 percent of its entire mass. The Sun is the source of an enormous amount of energy, a portion of which provides Earth with the light and heat necessary
planet Summary
Planet, (from Greek planētes, “wanderers”), broadly, any relatively large natural body that revolves in an orbit around the Sun or around some other star and that is not radiating energy from internal nuclear fusion reactions. In addition to the above description, some scientists impose additional