Neptune is the eighth planet from the sun.  Sometimes Pluto crosses it path, though, and makes it the ninth planet from the sun. It is the fourth largest planet in our solar system, and it has thirteen moons.  Its atmosphere is made of methane gas.  This gives it a bluish color.

    Neptune was first discovered by Johann Gotfried Galle.  He first discovered Neptune on September 23, 1846. 

     Neptune is mostly composed methane ice. Methane gives it the blue color. On Neptune there is a great dark spot much the same as Jupiter’s great red spot. Near the great dark spot winds blow up to 1,200 miles per hour. 

     The strongest winds on any planet are found on Neptune.  Its winds reach 2000 km/hour.

    Voyager 2 has been the only spacecraft to visit Neptune. Most of what we know about Neptune came from this visit.

Fast Facts

• Neptune is 2.8 billion miles from the sun.
   
• One of Neptune’s days lasts about 16 earth hours which is 960 minutes.
   
• The Triton is Neptune’s largest moon.
   
• Neptune is 2,793,000,000 miles from the sun.
   
• The Triton has an atmosphere and also a magnetic field.
   
• Neptune has four rings which are narrow and faint.
   
• Neptune’s orbit is 165 Earth years.
   
• A person on Neptune would only weigh one fifth as much as on Earth.
   
• Neptune is not visual from Earth.