Neptune is the 8th planet and it’s the farthest from the sun (about 4.5 km). A Neptune day is about 16 hours. That’s the time it takes for it to rotate once. A Neptune year is about 165 Earth years. That’s the time it takes for Neptune to orbit the sun. Neptune is named for the Greek god Neptune, the god of the sea. Because of that, all of Neptune’s 13 moons are named after sea gods and nymphs.
The average temp is -353 degrees Fahrenheit. (space.com) Does Neptune have an atmosphere? If so what is it mostly composed of? Neptune atmosphere by volume is Molecular hydrogen 80%, Helium 19%, Methane 1.5 %, hydrogen deuteride 192 parts per million 7 ethane 1.5 part per million. (space.com) How many moons does Neptune have and facts about them? Neptune has 14 moons the biggest being Triton which slightly smaller than Earths moon. Triton orbits Neptune backward it is the largest moon to do so. On July 15 the 14th moon was discovered and is temperately called S/2004 N 1. Triton is one of the four moons in the solar system to have an atmosphere. Neptune has seven inner moons Naiad, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, S/2004 N 1 and Proteus. (Space.com) Some interesting facts bout Neptune? Third largest planet dealing with mass. It is also the fourth largest planet dealing with diameter. Has the second largest gravity of any planet. Spins quickly on its axis. Neptune has the strongest winds in the solar system. Its surface gravity is almost like Earths. It’s also the coldest planet in the solar system. It’s a gas like planet. Neptune has five many rings that are Haller, Le Verrier, Lassell, Arago, and
Neptune is the eigth and farthest planet from the sun in the solar system. What does Neptune look like? Neptunes’ color is a deep shade of blue. It has five rings that are made of ice particles coated with silicates. It also has a dark spot “the great dark spot” is a 8,000 mile long spot which is a hug area of storm activity. (mrnussahaum.com) Has the United States explored Neptune? Yes we have. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to study and get close to the planet. Right now it is exploring the outermost regins of where the solar wind and sun’s magnetic field dominate space. In September 2007, it crossed the termination shock at 84 AU. (solarsystem.nasa.gov) What feautures have been found on Neptune? The great dark spot which is located on
Pluto, a dwarf planet, and Uranus, a planet, take turns being the most distant of the major bodies of our solar system in reference to the Sun For years, scientists were under the mistaken hypothesis that Pluto was the most distant. Scientists, in an attempt to study astronomical data, learned their hypothesis was inaccurate. Fortunately, it is of the scientists nature to investigate all data. On the basis of the data, the astronomers learned of the fact Uranus and Pluto have intersecting orbits. In addition, during the course of their investigation, they learned much of the nature of Uranus and Pluto.
There is perhaps no current problem of greater importance to astrophysics and cosmology than that of "dark matter". The controversy, as the name implies, is centered on the notion that there may exist an enormous amount of matter in the Universe that cannot be detected from the light that it emits. The evidence of dark matter is from the motions of astronomical objects, specifically stellar, galactic, and galaxy cluster/supercluster observations.
In 2005, astrologist Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology discovered Eris, the remote dwarf planet akin to Pluto in size and icy composition. This discovery determined Pluto as the outermost world in the Kuiper belt, ousting it from its position as the ninth planet in the solar system. Ironically, the same scientist has recently provided evidence for the existence of a new ninth planet. This planet is supposedly about the size of Neptune, has a mass ten times the Earth’s, and contains a thick atmosphere of Hydrogen and Helium. Though this information varies with hypotheses, scientists have come to recognize this planet as “Planet X”.
Uncovering the mysteries of Jupiter is a crucial step for a greater understanding of our Solar System. Being the massive planet that it is, this mysterious planet may hold many answers to how our the Solar System formed and evolved. The understanding of the origins of the universe includes answers even to the formation of Earth itself. Many believe that the research of Jupiter will lead to discoveries on planet formation and the role of giant planets on the formation f stars and other smaller bodies. Mysteries of Jupiter include its composition, what is under its clouds, what is in its core and its magnetic field. Research on the amount of water in the planet will tell us about the
Pluto is smaller the Earth's moons and a handful of others moons. Like the galilean moons I mentioned in a previous journal entry. Pluto has 5 moons. Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. Charon, is the largest of the five moons, but did you know that Pluto used to be a Neptune moon, but somehow left its orbit.
Did you know that Eris is colder than Neptune? Eris is the furthest dwarf planet from the sun, and is also the most massive of the currently recognized dwarf plants. Planet Eris extends far beyond the Kuiper Belt, a zone of icy debris beyond the orbit of Neptune. Eris is so far from the sun that its atmosphere sometimes freezes due to lack of sunlight. Over the course of the hundreds of years it takes the Eris to orbit the Sun, it thaws as it gets closer to the Sun’s heat.
Neptune has the wildest and strangest weather in the entire Solar System. It has huge storms with extremely high winds. Its atmosphere has dark spots which come and go, and bright cirrus-like clouds which change rapidly. Neptune has an average temperature of -353 Fahrenheit (-214 Celsius). On Earth sunlight drives our weather, but Neptune is so far away that it receives a thousand times less sunlight than Earth does. How Neptune gets the energy for such intense weather is still a mystery
By observation, it is known that Europa has an icy surface. It is furthermore likely that Europa would have a cold surface as a result of its distance from the Sun. The icy surface contrasts heavily with the possibility of the hot core that Europa may have. According to Elizabeth Howell, a
The Titan Moon is Saturn’s largest moon and it is the second-largest moon in the Solar System. The Titan Moon is said to be the only moon in the Solar System with a dense like atmosphere. The diameter of the Titan Moon is 3,200 miles’ which is half of the planet Mars. The Titan Moon orbital period is about 15,945 days. The name of this moon came from a Greek Mythology. The Titan Moon was discovered by Christian Huygens a Dutch astronomer in 1655. The Titan Moon is known to have several layers and has a rotation period that is the same as its orbit period. The Titan Moon turns on its axis the same time it takes to orbit around Saturn.
Astronomy is an ongoing process because it has changed the world and continues to throughout time. For example, NASA astronauts have continued in their mission to establish a human settlement on Mars from the first successful flyby of Mariner 4 to the current Mars rover, the Curiosity. NASA has even planned future missions to the planet. For example, they have future plans for a rover called the ExoMars Rover to be sent in 2018 that will carry the equipment needed to truly answer if life ever existed on Mars. Astronomy is an ongoing process because over time, our atmosphere has continued to change, so astronomers have to continue to learn about our skies in order to keep the people on earth safe.
The 7th planet from the sun, Uranus, is the coldest planet of the eight, at -216 degrees Celsius, a gas giant, and typically described as “rolling around the sun on it’s side”. This is because Uranus is tilted on its side at a 98 degree angle so it appears to be rotating around the sun, every 30,687 days, on it’s side. Uranus is one of the four gas giants in the solar system, and is made up of the same gases, helium and hydrogen. (9) However, Uranus’ equatorial diameter is 51,118 km, and is much smaller than Saturn and Jupiter. Uranus is observed easily using binoculars, and can be easily followed through the night sky. However, many scientists believe the best way to view Uranus is through a telescope, because of its fascinating bluish-turquoise
“To know that we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge” once said Intelligent Nicolaus Copernicus. Copernicus believes that true knowledge is the understanding of what we know and do not know. He impacted the history of astronomy in drastic ways. Nicolaus Copernicus, or Mikolaj Kopernik, was a german mathematician and astronomer well known for creating his own celestial model of the heliocentric solar system. His model specified that the sun, and not the earth, is closest to the centre of the universe. Nicolaus Copernicus made a great impact towards the science world. Many astronomers nowadays use his finding as evidence towards their own theories which eventually might revolutionize the world