Neptune

[History | Information | Moons | Data]

History

Neptune is named after the Roman god of the sea. The two largest moons of Neptune are also named after Roman underwater creatures. Triton and Nereid are the two largest moons. Triton is the Roman name for mermen, and Nereid is the name for mermaids, keeping the ocean theme. Neptune was discovered by an English and French astronomers at the same time.
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Information

Neptune is about the same size and composition of Uranus, but has a tremendously different atmosphere (it doesn't spin on its side like Uranus). Its rotation about its axis creates the fastest wind conditions in the solar system, some reaching well over one thousand miles per hour.
The Viking Space Probe uncovered a large blue spot, much like Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Pictures taken recently by the Hubble space telescope reveal that this storm has disappeared.
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Moons

Neptune's moon, Triton, joins Saturn's moon, Titan, as the only moon to have its own atmosphere in the solar system. It is also the largest of Neptune's moons.
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Data

Distance from Sun: Mean— 2,798,800,000 mi. Shortest— 2,774,800,000 mi. Greatest— 2,824,800,000 mi. Closest approach to Earth— 2,680,000,000 mi. Length of year (earth-days)— 60,190 Average orbital speed— 3.37 mi. per sec. Diameter at equator— 30,800 mi. Rotation period— 16 hrs. 7 min. Tilt of axis "(degrees)— 28.80 Temperature— -353 *F Atmosphere: Pressure— no surface Gasses— Hydrogen, helium, methane, acetylene, Mass (Earth=1)— 17.15 Density (g/cubic cm)— 1.64 Gravity (Earth=1)— 1.14 Number of known satellites— 8

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