Ian
priscilla 1Neptune
February 21st 2011 02:13
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in our Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third-largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus. On average, Neptune orbits the Sun at a distance approximately 30 times the Earth-Sun distance.
Neptune's atmosphere is notable for its active and visible weather patterns, such as these huge hurricanes.
Discovered on September 23, 1846, Neptune was the first planet found by mathematical prediction rather than by empirical observation. Unexpected changes in the orbit of Uranus led Alexis Bouvard to deduce that its orbit was subject to gravitational perturbation by an unknown planet. Neptune was subsequently observed by Johann Galle within a degree of the position predicted by Urbain Le Verrier, and its largest moon, Triton, was discovered shortly thereafter, though none of the planet's remaining 12 moons were located telescopically until the 20th century. Neptune has been visited by only one spacecraft, Voyager 2, which flew by the planet on August 25, 1989.
Neptune as seen from its moon, Triton
Voyager 2 took this photo of Neptune’s gigantic anti-cyclonic storm in 1989. Considered to be much like Jupiter’s Red Spot, the storm was thought to span 8,000 by 4,100 miles. It was believed to have a vortex structure. When Hubble turned its lens on Neptune in 1994, the Great Dark Spot was found to have vanished.
Voyager 2 took this image of Neptune in 1989, two hours before it made its closest approach to the planet
*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia page for Neptune.
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