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Little-Known Neptune Facts

Named after the Roman god of the sea and unable to be seen by the naked eye, the planet Neptune is the farthest planet from the sun due to Pluto's downgraded status by the International Astronomical Union as of 2006. Known for its unusual discovery, position in the solar system and planetary features, Neptune has charmed scientists and sky gazers since the 19th century.

Discovery
- Neptune was not discovered by an observation from Earth, but rather by a calculation that theorized its existence. The planet Uranus' gravitational imbalances led scientists to believe that the planet existed, and in 1843 and 1846 respectively, John Couch Adams and Urbain Le Verrier independently came to the conclusion that the planet existed. Once the predictions were read by Johann Galle, the planet was located on September 23,1846, using theoretical calculations as a guide.
Position in the Solar System
- According the website FactsMonk, Neptune was not always in the position of eighth planet from the sun. No longer considered a planet but still a competitor for closest position to the sun, Pluto has an elliptical orbit that places it closer to the sun for periods of 20 years. Neptune is closest to the sun for 220 years before Pluto's 20-year reign begins again.
Storms
- Neptune has a large, blue, storm-producing area that is similar to Jupiter's red spot. Like Jupiter, Neptune has an active, hydrogen-based atmosphere with storm winds that can reach more than 1,200 mph. Neptune's largest storm, which is known as the Great Dark Spot, would cover the entirety of Earth if it occurred on our planet. According to FactsMonk, the Great Dark Spot may have died out or is no longer visible to the Hubble Telescope, which has not captured the storm in recent months as of May 2010.
Rings and Things
- Like Saturn, Neptune has faint rings that encircle the planet, but they are not as pronounced as Saturn's rings. The three rings are named Adams, Leverrier and Galle after the planet's discoverers. Neptune also has eight moons, which are all named after Greek gods of the sea. The largest moon, Triton, is roughly the same size as Earth's moon but rotates in the opposite direction of Neptune's orbit. Neptune, which is four times the size of Earth, is made up of helium, methane, hydrogen and ammonia.
Encounters
- NASA's Voyager 2 visited Neptune once in 1989, and the images that resulted provided much of what is known about the planet today. According to FactsMonk, no future exploratory missions are planned as of May 2010.