10 Interesting Facts About Planet Neptune
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Neptune is a fascinating world, really. Still, there is a lot that people don’t know about it as it is. It could be because Neptune is the most distant planet from our own, or because very few exploratory missions have reached into our Solar System so far away. But whatever the cause, Neptune is a giant of gas (and ice), full of wonder.
Here are 10 interesting facts about Planet Neptune.
1. Jean-Joseph Le Verrier discovered planet Neptune. Ancient civilizations did not recognize the earth, since it is not visible to the naked eye. After their discoverer, the planet was initially named Le Verrier. However, this name was soon dropped, and instead, the name Neptune was chosen.
2. Planet Neptune is the furthest of the eight planets, with an average distance of 2.8 billion miles/4.5 billion kilometers or 30 AU away from the Sun. It is now 29.4 AU away from earth, with its light taking up to four hours to reach us. The actual location of Neptune can be confirmed online as the planet is constantly being monitored.
3. On Planet Neptune, the climate is extremely active. Big storms pass through it in its upper atmosphere, and high-speed solar winds track the earth at up to 1,340 km per second. The biggest storm in 1989 was the Great Dark Spot that lasted for around 5 years.
4. The smallest of the ice giants is Planet Neptune. Neptune has a larger mass, although it is smaller than Uranus. Uranus is composed of hydrogen, helium, and methane gas layers under its thick atmosphere. They enclose a layer of ice from water, ammonia, and methane. The planet’s inner core is composed of rock.
