Do you know the farthest planet from the sun? Yes! It is Neptune. The diameter of this planet is approximately 30.559 miles. It means that Neptune is four times wider than earth. Because of that, this planet is also known as the fourth-largest planet in the solar system. It is also the eighth or the last planet in the solar system. You may be curious about how does Neptune look like. If so, you should read the information below. This information will also explain how to find Neptune in the Sky and everything you want to know.
The Way Astronomers Found Neptune
An Astronomer known as Alexis Bouvard noticed something different in the Uranus orbit in 1821. He saw another planet tugging on it. Another Astronomer, John Couch Adams also saw something strange in 1843.
He calculated the orbit but nothing came of it. The calculation continued and in 1846, Urbain Le Verrier calculated the orbit and reported it to a German astronomer, Johann Gottfried Galle. Verrier concluded that there was a new planet. Verrier explained that he spotted it on September 23rd, 1846.
The Reason Why Astronomers Called This New Planet Neptune
So, why do astronomers call this new planet Neptune? Most experts believe that Neptune was taken from the name of the sea god in Roman mythology. They took this name after seeing the characteristics of the planet. Furthermore, astronomers also took the name based on the previous name of other planets. All names were taken from Roman mythology.
How Does Neptune Look Like
Just like other planets, Neptune also looks like a ball. Imagine that you are seeing a blue ball. At a glance, the color, shape, and size of this planet are similar to Uranus. Interestingly, the size is much bigger than the earth.
As an illustration, Neptune can hold up to 60 piles of earth. The six rings encircling Neptune are another thing that makes this planet a bit different than other planets in the solar system. The reason why this planet looks blue is because of a gas known as Methane. This gas absorbs the red color from the sun and reflects it to your eye as a blue color.
Despite its ball shape, this planet doesn’t have a solid surface. The outermost of this planet is the cloud. The second layer is a variety of gas, such as hydrogen, helium, and methane. In the third layer, this planet consists of air, ammonia, and methane ice. The core of this planet can be the only solid thing which is a stone or ice.
The Condition in Neptune
So, can you stay in Neptune just like on Earth? Unfortunately, we can’t stay in Neptune. Since this planet is far away from the sun, the conditions are so dark, cold, and windy. The temperature is about -360 degrees Fahrenheit or -218 degrees Celsius.
The content in Neptune includes fog of water, ammonia, and methane. This planet also has an atmosphere that is made of hydrogen, helium, and methane.
Time on Neptune
How about the time on Neptune? Do you think that the time on Neptune is the same as the time on Earth? No, it is not. A day in Neptune is shorter than a day on earth. You only have 16 hours a day if you live in Neptune, whereas on the earth you live up to 24 hours a day.
On the other hand, the time to go around the sun is so slow. Neptune needs up to 165 earth years to go around the sun in the solar system. Imagine that after being discovered for the first time in 1846, this planet didn’t even finish a full orbit until 2011. This planet will finish its next orbit approximately in 2176.
How to Find Neptune in the Sky?
You may be curious about this planet and wonder if you can see it in the sky. How to find Neptune in the sky? Is it possible? Unfortunately, unlike Mercurius, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturnus, you can’t see Neptune with your eyes in the sky.
The good thing is that you can still see it using a telescope to see this planet. Experts even need to use a spacecraft to see the condition of this planet closer. That’s why a spacecraft known as the Voyager 2 was sent to Neptune in 1989.
The Voyager 2 captured that Neptune was darker than Uranus. This planet also had a dark spot. This spot will remind you of Jupiter but in red color. Surprisingly, the dark spot was gone in 1994. In case your parents have a telescope or binoculars, try to move it to the left of the moon. Then, search for an object that is so close to a star known as Phi Aquarii. That’s it! It is the position of Neptune, a tiny blue dot of light. You are lucky if you see this planet.
Don’t be disappointed if it looks so tiny. Remember! The distance of this planet is over 30 times that of the earth. This planet looks so clear when seeing it from an 8-inch telescope with a magnification of no less than 200x. You can ask your parents if they have a telescope.
Interesting Things You Should Know about Neptune
Astronomers may explain that sometimes they see another planet inside the Neptune path. It is not a new planet, but it is Pluto. It happens because of Pluto’s irregular orbit. At the same time, the orbit is very close to Neptune’s orbit. Because of that, Pluto will cross into Neptune’s orbit. Do you know how long Pluto crosses inside Neptune’s orbit? This phenomenon will happen for 20 years!
Pluto will also be closer to the Sun than Neptune. It happened between 1979 and 1999. Unfortunately, you can’t see this phenomenon soon. This phenomenon happens every 200 years!
When Neptune was discovered in 1846, astronomers explained that this planet didn’t have six rings. Surprisingly, Neptune showed its rings in 1968. The rings are also unique and not smooth. The rings seem to be a group of dust and ice.
Due to the 2.8 billion miles length between the sun and Neptune, it takes 4 hours for sunlight to reach this planet. Astronomers believed that the Great Dark Spot captured by Voyager 2 in Neptune was a storm. It was known as one of the strongest storms in 1989. Neptune also has up to 14 moons, which are:
- Naiad
- Thalassa
- Despina
- Galatea
- Larissa
- S/2004 N1
- Proteus
- Triton
- Nereid
- Halimede
- Sao
- Laomedeia
- Psamathe
- Neso
From the moons above, Triton is the largest moon on Neptune. Uniquely, this moon rotates in the opposite direction to Neptune’s rotation.
Finally, you know more about Neptune, how to find Neptune in the sky, and even what is Neptune made of. Hopefully, it makes you want to explore more about the solar system.
