Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. However, every couple hundred years, Pluto's orbit brings it closer, making Neptune the ninth planet from the Sun momentarily. The last time this happened was in 1979. Pluto stayed the eighth planet in the solar system for 20 years, until its orbit bypassed Neptune in 1999. This event won't happen again for another 242 years. Neptune is also the fourth largest planet in the solar system, big enough to fit 60 Earths inside. Neptune is approximately 3 billion miles from the Sun and it takes about 165 years for Neptune to orbit the Sun once—meaning that one year on Neptune is equivalent to 165 Earth years.A Neptune day is only 16 hours, however, which means that the planet rotates fairly quickly. Neptune may be the windiest planet in our solar system, often having winds that reach over 1,200 miles per hour. The winds are so strong, that at one time Neptune's Great Dark Spot was blown across the planet at 700 miles per hour. The dark spot is about the same size as Earth. These strong winds are a result of the planet's speed of rotation and the vast temperature differences on the planet. At nearly 17 times the size of earth, Neptune is the fourth-largest planet as well as one of the slowest moving. Lying at the outer reaches of the solar system, Neptune trudges through space, taking165 earth years to orbit the sun. Discovery and History It was Italian scientist and scholar Galileo who first observed Neptune, spotting the planet in 1613. He was only able to glimpse the planet for two nights, and was thus unable to gain a clear understanding of its movements. Because of this lack of information, Galileo mistook the planet for a star. When Neptune's identity was finally uncovered in 1846, it was because of the discovery of another planet, Uranus. Astronomers had noted that Uranus did not behave as it should according to Newton's Laws of Motion. The reason, it was thought, must be that some other planet was exerting an influence on Uranus' orbit. Two astronomers, working independently, predicted the location of the unknown planet based on observations of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.What followed was an international dispute, with both the English and the French seeking credit and the right to name the new planet. Today, both countries, and both astronomers, are credited with the discovery.
Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun. However, every couple hundred years, Pluto's orbit brings it closer, making Neptune the ninth planet from the Sun momentarily. The last time this happened was in 1979. Pluto stayed the eighth planet in the solar system for 20 years, until its orbit bypassed Neptune in 1999. This event won't happen again for another 242 years.
Neptune is also the fourth largest planet in the solar system, big enough to fit 60 Earths inside.
Neptune is approximately 3 billion miles from the Sun and it takes about 165 years for Neptune to orbit the Sun once—meaning that one year on Neptune is equivalent to 165 Earth years.A Neptune day is only 16 hours, however, which means that the planet rotates fairly quickly.
Neptune may be the windiest planet in our solar system, often having winds that reach over 1,200 miles per hour. The winds are so strong, that at one time Neptune's Great Dark Spot was blown across the planet at 700 miles per hour. The dark spot is about the same size as Earth. These strong winds are a result of the planet's speed of rotation and the vast temperature differences on the planet.
At nearly 17 times the size of earth, Neptune is the fourth-largest planet as well as one of the slowest moving. Lying at the outer reaches of the solar system, Neptune trudges through space, taking165 earth years to orbit the sun.
Discovery and History
It was Italian scientist and scholar Galileo who first observed Neptune, spotting the planet in 1613. He was only able to glimpse the planet for two nights, and was thus unable to gain a clear understanding of its movements. Because of this lack of information, Galileo mistook the planet for a star.
When Neptune's identity was finally uncovered in 1846, it was because of the discovery of another planet, Uranus. Astronomers had noted that Uranus did not behave as it should according to Newton's Laws of Motion. The reason, it was thought, must be that some other planet was exerting an influence on Uranus' orbit. Two astronomers, working independently, predicted the location of the unknown planet based on observations of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.What followed was an international dispute, with both the English and the French seeking credit and the right to name the new planet. Today, both countries, and both astronomers, are credited with the discovery.