Now that Pluto has been demoted from a planet to a dwarf planet, Neptune is now the most distant planet in the solar system. It is 2.8 million miles from the Sun or 30 times the distance of the Earth to the Sun. Its distance has also made it, until recently, one of the most mysterious planets in our system. In fact, most of what we know about the planet comes from the Voyager 2 spacecraft, which passed by Neptune [...]

Of the four giant planets, Neptune is the smallest. Its diameter is roughly 30, 755 miles. This is the measurement taken from a point in the atmosphere where the pressure does not exceed 1 bar. Neptune is four times bigger than earth but is just slightly smaller than Uranus. Despite being smaller than Uranus, Neptune’s mass exceeds it by 1.2 times. Its density is 1.639 g/cm. Earth is denser than Uranus. Neptune’s Mass is 10243×1026 kg. Its volume is 6.254 [...]

Neptune, just like the other gas giant planets in our Solar System, can actually be broken up into different layers. In fact, its composition can change depending on which layers you’re looking at. Shall we go and learn more?

Texts and descriptions are fine and dandy, but to see planet Neptune for what it is is another thing altogether.  Enjoy these pictures of Neptune.

Mass (kg): 1.02 x 1026 Diameter (km): 49528 Mean density (kg/m3) : 1640 Escape velocity (m/s): 23300 Average distance from Sun: 30.07 AU (4,498,252,900 km) Rotation period (length of day in Earth days) : 0.67 (19.1 hours) Revolution period (length of year in Earth days): 60,190 (164.8 Earth years) Obliquity (tilt of axis degrees) : 29.6 Orbit inclination (degrees) : 1.77 Orbit eccentricity (deviation from circular) : 0.009 Mean temperature (K): 48 Visual geometric albedo (reflectivity) : 0.51 Atmospheric components [...]

1. Neptune is the fourth largest planet in the Solar System. 2. Neptune is a gaseous planet, composed of hydrogen, helium, methane, with traces of ammonia and water. 3. Neptune was discovered by Urbain Le Verrier, John Couch Adams, and Johann Galle on September 23, 1846. 4. The only spacecraft ever to visit Neptune was Voyager 2 in 1989. 5. In Roman mythology, Neptune is the god of the sea. 6. Neptune has strong winds which is more than any [...]