What Does Neptune Look Like

The planet Neptune has features that other planets don’t have. It is far from Earth in which it can be compared to a tiny star when being observed through the use of binoculars. It is said to be brilliantly blue. When we are viewing planets in the sky at night, we actually see the light that is reflected off of these planets from the sun. Due to this, it can be ascertained that reflected sunlight is also seen from Neptune. The reason why the sun’s reflection appears as blue and not yellow is because the presence of the methane gas in the planet.

The particles of icy methane in the clouds takes orange and red light waves and absorbs them, which leaves blue light waves to make an escape and create an outward reflection through our eyes. This is the process of how the sunlight is being reflected off to the atmosphere of the planet Neptune that causes its blue appearance.

Another feature of the planet Neptune is its Great Dark Spot. The Great Dark Spot of the planet Neptune is actually a depression in its atmosphere that is surrounded by high cirrus type of clouds. However, this spot does not have stability in its appearance. After a few years of being discovered by the Voyagers, this spot disappeared and in the year 1995, it appeared again in the northern Hemisphere of the planet Neptune. At the time it was first discovered, it appeared to be slowly moving but after the rotation rate of Neptune was finally determined, the Great Dark Spot showed that it does not slowly move with the planet but moves in the direction that is said to be opposite to the spin of the planet at supersonic speeds. The speed is said to be ten times of the Earth’s hurricane speed.

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