Neptune

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Neptune

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Neptune

 

Although it is a dim sight from Earth, deep-blue Neptune with its bright cloud bands is one of the most varied and interesting in the solar System.

 
Yet another of the giant planets, Neptune is about the same size as Uranus. Most of what we know about this planet comes from the 1989 flyby of Voyager 2. Neptune shows a lot of activity on the surface which results from an internal energy. Like Uranus, it gets it color from traces of methane in its atmosphere which is made up mainly of hydrogen and helium. Thus giving the planet the blue color. The most obvious feature on Neptune is the Great Dark Spot (GDS) which is a circulating storm about the size of Earth. Neptune has 8 moons that we know of. They are named Triton, Nereid, Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, and Proteus.
 
neptune.jpg (18947 bytes)

"Image courtesy Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Copyright (c) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA. All rights reserved."

[click on thumbnail for larger image]

Neptune Facts

Distance from Earth

30.1 Au

Apparent Magnitude

7.9

Mass

17.1 x Earth's mass
1.02 x 1026 kg

Neptune Day

19.1 hrs

Radius

3.88 x Earth's radius
49,528 km diameter

Neptune Year

164.8 Earth years

Apparent Size

2.3 arcsecs    
The Moons of Neptune
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