Significant dates
1846: Astronomers discover Neptune and its largest moon, Triton, using mathematical calculations
1984: Astronomers have found evidence leading to the existence of a ring system around Neptune
1989: The first and only spacecraft to visit Neptune, Voyager 2, passes about 4,800 km (2,983 miles) above the planet's North Pole.
1998: For the first time ever, using telescopes in space and on Earth, scientists image Neptune’s rings and ring arcs.
2003: Astronomers, using improved observing techniques, discover 5 new moons that orbit Neptune
2005: Using the Keck Observatory, scientists image the outer rings of Neptune and find that some of the arcs have deteriorated
2011: Since its discovery, Neptune completes its first 165-year orbit of the sun
2013: A previously unknown 14th of Neptune comes about from a scientist studying Neptune’s ring arcs in archival Hubble Space Telescope
1846: Astronomers discover Neptune and its largest moon, Triton, using mathematical calculations
1984: Astronomers have found evidence leading to the existence of a ring system around Neptune
1989: The first and only spacecraft to visit Neptune, Voyager 2, passes about 4,800 km (2,983 miles) above the planet's North Pole.
1998: For the first time ever, using telescopes in space and on Earth, scientists image Neptune’s rings and ring arcs.
2003: Astronomers, using improved observing techniques, discover 5 new moons that orbit Neptune
2005: Using the Keck Observatory, scientists image the outer rings of Neptune and find that some of the arcs have deteriorated
2011: Since its discovery, Neptune completes its first 165-year orbit of the sun
2013: A previously unknown 14th of Neptune comes about from a scientist studying Neptune’s ring arcs in archival Hubble Space Telescope