Neptune
"The big blue planet"
Neptune, named after the Roman god of the sea, is the fifth-smallest planet in our solar system. Often referred to as “the big blue planet” due to its beautiful blue color caused by methane. Features of the planet include a “surface” composed of various gases which, deeper down, merges into water.
The planet has only been visited by one spacecraft, Voyager 2, back in 1989. It has not been visited since then.
Important Stats
- 8th planet from the Sun (2.7 billion miles)
- 14 moons
- 30,599 miles in diameter
- 28.5 degree axis tilt
- 60,190 day long years
- 113% of Earth’s gravity (11.15 m/s²)
- Average temperature of -350 degrees F
- Atmospheric makeup of mostly hydrogen and helium with some methane
Moons
- Larissa
- Proteus
- Triton
- 11 other moons…
Ring Composition
Neptune has around 10 rings in total that we currently know of. These rings contain clumps of dust called “arcs” that seem to defy the laws of motion by remaining close together. This is believed to be due to one of Neptune’s moons.
Surface Photos
