Background Information
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the sun
It is the fourth largest planet by diameter and third largest by mass and the most dense.
What Is Neptune Composed of?
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The outermost layer of Neptune is the atmosphere, it forms about 5-10% of Neptune's mass. It is about 80% hydrogen,19% helium, and amounts of other ices:methane, ammonia and water ice.
Beneath this is the mantle,a super-heated liquid region where temperatures can reach 2,000 K to 5,000 K.It has about 10 to 15 times the mass of the Earth, and consists of water, ammonia, methane, and other compounds. Although the mantle of the Neptune is extremely hot, astronomers refer to the region as icy; it’s really a hot, dense fluid.
The center of Neptune is the planet’s core. The core is made of iron, nickel and other silicates that make up about 1.2 times the mass of the Earth.
Beneath this is the mantle,a super-heated liquid region where temperatures can reach 2,000 K to 5,000 K.It has about 10 to 15 times the mass of the Earth, and consists of water, ammonia, methane, and other compounds. Although the mantle of the Neptune is extremely hot, astronomers refer to the region as icy; it’s really a hot, dense fluid.
The center of Neptune is the planet’s core. The core is made of iron, nickel and other silicates that make up about 1.2 times the mass of the Earth.
Neptune's Surroundings
Neptune's Rings
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Neptune has five rings: Galle, Le Verrier, Lassell, Arago, and Adams, they are named after important astronomers that are relevant to Neptune.
Each Ring is composed of at least 20-70% of dust, the rest of the material in the rings is made of small rocks. These rings are very hard to see because thy are dark and they all vary in size and density. Astronomers believe that the age of Neptune's ring are much less than Neptune itself and came to be when one of Neptune’s inner moons got to close to the planet and was torn apart by gravity.The innermost ring of orbits at a distance of 41,000 km from the planet, and extends to a width of 2,000 km. This ring is named after Johann Gottfried Galle, the first person that saw Neptune through the telescope. The next ring is the narrower LeVerrier ring, named after Neptune’s co-discoverer, Urbain Le Verrier. It’s 113 km wide. Then comes the Lassell ring, the widest ring in the system at about 4,000 km.After this comes the Arago ring, and finally the very thin Adams ring, named after Neptune’s other co-discoverer. The Adams ring is the most famous because it has 5 arcs. Adams’ arcs are areas where the material of the rings is grouped together in a clump. Of the 5 arcs, there are 3 very well known ones: Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity. The arcs are the brightest parts of the rings and the first to be discovered.
Each Ring is composed of at least 20-70% of dust, the rest of the material in the rings is made of small rocks. These rings are very hard to see because thy are dark and they all vary in size and density. Astronomers believe that the age of Neptune's ring are much less than Neptune itself and came to be when one of Neptune’s inner moons got to close to the planet and was torn apart by gravity.The innermost ring of orbits at a distance of 41,000 km from the planet, and extends to a width of 2,000 km. This ring is named after Johann Gottfried Galle, the first person that saw Neptune through the telescope. The next ring is the narrower LeVerrier ring, named after Neptune’s co-discoverer, Urbain Le Verrier. It’s 113 km wide. Then comes the Lassell ring, the widest ring in the system at about 4,000 km.After this comes the Arago ring, and finally the very thin Adams ring, named after Neptune’s other co-discoverer. The Adams ring is the most famous because it has 5 arcs. Adams’ arcs are areas where the material of the rings is grouped together in a clump. Of the 5 arcs, there are 3 very well known ones: Equality, Liberty, and Fraternity. The arcs are the brightest parts of the rings and the first to be discovered.
Neptune's Moons
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Neptune has 14 moons: Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea, Larissa, S/2004 N 1, Proteus, Triton, Nereid, Halimede, Sao, Laomedeia, Psamathe, and Neso
The Inner Moons
The inner moons are: Naiad, Thalassa, Despina, Galatea and Larissa.
Naiad- closest moon to the surface of Neptune. It is too small to be shaped like a ball so it is irregularly shaped like an asteroid. Naiad was discovered in 1989 by Voyager 2.
Thalassa- discovered in 1989 by Voyager 2, Thalassa is a small, irregularly shaped world.
Despina- this small and icy moon was discovered in 1989 by Voyager 2
Galatea- Neptune's fourth moon was discovered by Voyager 2 in 1989.
Larissa- discovered by Harold Reitsema, Larissa is the fifth of Neptune's moons. This moon is small and heavily cratered It's cratered surface suggests that it is probably very old.
The Outer Moons
The outer moons are: Proteus, Triton, Nereid, Halimede, Sao, Laomedeia, Psamathe, and Neso
Proteus- Proteus is Neptune's second largest moon, but it is still not very big. This moon is not very round. That is because its gravity is not strong enough to pull it into a ball shape.
Triton- Triton is by far the largest of Neptune's moons. Scientists believe that Triton was captured by Neptune long ago. Many scientists today believe that Triton formed as a planet far out in the Solar System. Eventually it was shaken from its orbit and sent in towards Neptune. Because of Neptune's large size and gravity, Triton was captured as it passed Neptune. Triton orbits around Neptune in the opposite direction of Neptune's rotation.Triton is slowly getting closer and closer to Neptune's surface. Eventually, in a very long time, this moon will crash into Neptune.
Nereid-Nereid is the outermost of Neptune's moons, and the third largest. This world, which was discovered in 1949 by Kuiper, has a strange shaped orbit. It orbits Neptune in a long skinny oval, not in a short fat oval like the other planets and moons of the Solar System. This strange orbit makes it almost certain that Nereid is a captured asteroid or comet.
[ other outer moons have very limited information, if you would like to learn more, please visit: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/neptune/moons
What is it like on Neptune?
Neptune may be the windiest planet in the solar system. Winds tear through the clouds at more than 1,200 mph (2,000 kph). The winds blew away Neptune's Great Dark Spot, a storm as big as the size of Earth, across the planet at 700 mph (1,100 kph). That spot has since disappeared. A new one appeared on a different part of planet.
Neptune gets its blue color from a layer of methane gas above the clouds. Methane absorbs red light so only blue colors show up when we look at Neptune.
Scientists think there might be an ocean of super hot water under Neptune's cold clouds. It does not boil away because of the incredible pressure. That pressure makes it impossible for a spacecraft or a person to drop deep into the clouds.
Neptune has six rings and 13 known moons. Neptune's largest moon, Triton, gets colder than Pluto. Voyager 2 spotted geysers of nitrogen gas on Triton.
Neptune gets its blue color from a layer of methane gas above the clouds. Methane absorbs red light so only blue colors show up when we look at Neptune.
Scientists think there might be an ocean of super hot water under Neptune's cold clouds. It does not boil away because of the incredible pressure. That pressure makes it impossible for a spacecraft or a person to drop deep into the clouds.
Neptune has six rings and 13 known moons. Neptune's largest moon, Triton, gets colder than Pluto. Voyager 2 spotted geysers of nitrogen gas on Triton.