Discovery of Neptune
o Neptune was discovered by mathematics.
Scientists noticed that Uranus was not always
in the predicted position, that another planet
must be effecting it’s orbit. In 1846 their
predictions were proven correct.
o Johann Gottfried Galle, Heinrich Louis
d'Arrest, Urbain Le Verrier, and John Couch
Adams discovered Neptune.
Comparison: Neptune – Earth
o Neptune is nearly 4 times bigger
than Earth
o A year on Neptune is 164.79 years
o You could fit 57 Earth’s inside
Neptune
Neptune – Earth
Where Did it Get it’s Name?
o The methane gas in the atmosphere
surrounding Neptune causes it to appear as
deep blue in color, so Urbain Le Verrier named
it Neptune after the Roman god of the sea.
Voyager
2
o Voyager 2 is NASA’s
first spacecraft to
observe Neptune.
o It took 12 years to
reach Neptune.
o Discovered 6 of
Neptune’s moons.
Pictures by Voyager 2
Neptune
Rings
Weather on Neptune
o Neptune has the most dangerous, powerful
weather in the whole Solar System.
o Huge storms with winds up to 1,305 mph.
o Also one of the coldest planets in our Solar
System with temperatures down to -218
Celsius.
Neptune’s Moons
o Neptune’s 13 moons are Triton, Laomedeia,
Nereid, Larissa, Proteus, Naiad, Despina,
Galatea, Thalassa, Halimede, Neso, Sao, and
Psamathe.
o Named for various lesser sea gods and
nymphs in Greek mythology.
Triton
o Neptune’s largest
moon.
o Only moon in the solar
system that orbits in a
direction opposite to
the rotation of its
planet.
o Ice volcanoes spout a
mixture of liquid
nitrogen, methane and
dust, which instantly
freezes and then snows
back down to the
surface.
Moon
Distance from Neptune
Naiad
48,227
Thalassa
50,075
Despina
52,526
Galatea
61,953
Larissa
73,548
Proteus
117,647
Triton
354,800
Halimede
15,728,000
Nereid
5,513,400
Sao
22,422,000
Laomedeia
23,571,000
Psamathe
46,695,000
Neso
48,387,000
The Great Dark Spot
o This was a huge spinning storm on the
Southern atmosphere of Neptune, it
was about the size of the entire Earth.
o Wind speeds were measured up to over
1,500 mph during this storm.
Composition
Neptune’s Symbol
o A trident, or three-
pronged fork.
o Weapon associated
with the Roman
god.
Neptune’s Rings
o Neptune has 6
rings: Galle, Le
Verrier, Lassell,
Arago, Galatea, and
Adams. Named
after the
astronomers .
o They are difficult to
see because they
are dark and vary in
size and density.
o The rings are all composed of at least 20%
dust, some up to 70% and small rocks.
Rings
Distance from Neptune
Galle
41,900
Le Verrier
53,200
Lassell
55,200
Arago
57,200
Galatea
61,950
Adams
62,930
Neptune & The Sun
o It takes Neptune 164.79 years to orbit the sun
because it orbits much farther from the sun
than Earth does, it has only completely
orbited the sun one time since it’s been
discovered.
o The average distance of Neptune from the
Sun is 2,795,084,800 miles .
Neptune Facts
o One day on Neptune is 16.1 hours.
o The gravity there is similar to Earth’s .
o Every time you look at Neptune it will be
different.
o Neptune is the 8th planet from the sun.
o Fourth largest planet.
Work Cited
o http://www.universetoday.com
o http://www.space.com
o http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu
o http://nineplanets.org
o https://solarsystem.nasa.gov
o http://space.about.com/od/neptune/tp/Intere
sting-Facts-About-Neptune.htm