What does neptune do

Sometimes dark spots form in the atmosphere, which are basically storms the size of Earth. It has the wildest and strangest weather out of all the planets in the Solar System. The winds speeds on Neptune are the most outstanding. They are nearly a supersonic flow. These winds break the sound barrier being 5 times stronger than the strongest winds on Earth. A day on Neptune is less than a day on Earth. It lasts for only 16 hours.

Since Neptune is the farthest planet from the Sun, it has a very long journey to complete around it. One year on Neptune is equal to Earth years. Neptune has a radius of In comparison to gas giants, things get serious. Saturn has 2. When it comes to the terrestrial planets, Neptune is four times larger than Earth and Venus.

It has 7. The name Neptune was first given to the seventh discovered planet of the Solar System. However, the name was discarded but Uranus ultimately led to the discovery of the eighth planet, which would bear the name Neptune. Neptune is invisible to the unaided eye and thus it evaded discovery for centuries, until in when the works of Le Verrier and Johann Galle found the bluish planet. Uranus was the greatest factor in the discovery of Neptune. This forced astronomers to conclude that another undiscovered planet might be the reason behind the perturbations.

Le Verrier predicted where this mysterious planet should be, and Johann Galle found it one degree away from the predicted point.

Instead, researchers propose Triton started as a binary system —similar to the dwarf planet Pluto and its moon Charon. As it passed by, Neptune's gravity kidnapped Triton from the pair and trapped it in orbit. Triton has a thin atmosphere that seems to be growing warmer, but scientists are unsure why. Five known rings of rocks and dust encircle Neptune—all named after astronomers who helped bring to light details about the windy world.

Neptune also has several partial rings, known as arcs. Only one spacecraft has ever visited the dark blue world. Voyager 2 whipped by in , collecting captivating data and images. Though many scientists have proposed additional visits, none have yet been approved.

Until another plan is crafted to visit Neptune, researchers will have to appease their curiosity from afar, capitalizing on observations from the Hubble Space Telescope as well as telescopes that have their bases firmly planted on the ground. All rights reserved. Neptune Neptune is the most distant of the solar system's eight planets.

Find out about the blue world's orbit, which of Neptune's moons is the largest, and how the planet is home to the most severe weather in the solar system. Dreaming of blue Orbiting at a distance of roughly 2. Neptune Neptune's Great Dark Spot is clearly visible in this image of the planet, taken in by Voyager 2. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.

Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.

India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. By comparison: Perihelion closest approach to the sun : 2,,, miles 4,,, km. Aphelion farthest distance from the sun : 2,,, miles 4,,, km. Source: NASA. Neptune has 14 known moons , named after lesser sea gods and nymphs from Greek mythology.

The largest by far is Triton , whose discovery on Oct. Triton is the only spherical moon of Neptune — the planet's other 13 moons are irregularly shaped.

It is also unique in being the only large moon in the solar system to circle its planet in a direction opposite to its planet's rotation — this " retrograde orbit " suggests that Triton may once have been a dwarf planet that Neptune captured rather than forming in place, according to NASA. Neptune's gravity is dragging Triton closer to the planet, meaning that millions of years from now, Triton will come close enough for gravitational forces to rip it apart.

Triton is extremely cold, with temperatures on its surface reaching about minus degrees F minus degrees C , making it one of the coldest places in the solar system. Nevertheless, Voyager 2 detected geysers spewing icy matter upward more than 5 miles 8 km , showing its interior appears warm. Scientists are investigating the possibility of a subsurface ocean on the icy moon.

In , seasons were discovered on Triton. The rings are thought to be relatively young and short-lived. These two second exposures of the rings of Neptune were taken with the clear filter by the Voyager 2 wide-angle camera on Aug. This alignment occurs once every years. Voyager 2 was launched on August 20, , followed by Vogayer 1 in on September 5, Voyager 1 and 2 visited Jupiter and Saturn, and parting ways after.

Voyager 2 then reached Uranus followed by Neptune. In , Voyager 2 became the first and only spacecraft to visit Neptune. Check out this Voyager Timeline. Distance Learning Opportunities for Educators and Students. General Informal Educator