Neptune
Neptune is made up of rock, water for the core, liquid ammonia for the surface, and hydrogen, methane and helium for the atmosphere. Clouds of ammonia ice are present together with storms on Neptune. It is the fourth gas planet besides Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. It also has a magnetic field and is blue because of its methane. Its properties are very similar to the other 3 gas planets mentioned.
Special Neptune:
1. Neptune’s magnetic field is also distorted but for an unknown reason unlike Uranus.
2. Neptune’s largest moon, Titan, defies normality in a sense as it orbits Neptune in a clockwise direction, unlike most moons which do so anti-clockwise. Scientists conclude that Titan was actually a tiny planet like Pluto which came too close to Neptune and was captured by its gravity and became Neptune’s moon.
Geography:
- Neptune is the fourth gas planet besides Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.
- Neptune has the strongest winds in our Solar System
- Neptune generates its own energy through the Kelvin-Helmholtz mechanism, just like Jupiter and Saturn. It radiates a lot of heat
- Neptune ’s Great Dark Spot represents powerful winds and storms whole year round. It is half as large as Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
- Neptune has smaller dark spots around it due to harsh storm conditions
- Neptune has a small irregular white cloud that zooms around Neptune every 16 hours which is known as The Scooter. Its presence is unexplained
- Neptune ’s atmosphere changes rapidly due to differences in temperature between cloud layers.
Anatomy:
- Neptune has a core, with denser clouds as it get to lower altitudes
- Neptune is believed to possess a water mantle
- Neptune’s orbit is not in accordance with the calculations based on Newton’s law of gravity (a modified equation of Kepler’s). Another undiscovered planet nearby is believed to be affecting Neptune’s orbit
- Pluto’s highly eccentric orbit pushes it ahead of Neptune at times, making Neptune the furthest planet away from the sun at times
- Neptune has dark complete rings. Its composition is unknown
- Neptune’s largest moon, Titan, orbits Neptune in a clockwise direction, unlike most moons which does so anti-clockwise. Scientists concluded that Titan was actually a tiny planet like Pluto which actually came too close to Neptune and was captured by its gravity. It thus became Neptune’s moon, orbiting in the direction as it was moving initially, in a clockwise direction.
Chemical composition:
- Neptune is comprised of ice, rock, hydrogen and helium
- There is no distinct separation of the inner-lying layers of clouds but they are uniformly distributed
- It has a rocky core
- Neptune has an atmosphere of hydrogen, helium and methane
- Neptune is blue as the methane atmosphere it has absorbs red light, but a chromophore is believed to be involved, making it bright and clearly visible
- Neptune has a magnetic field which is spiral (like Uranus) due to unknown exterior affecting forces
Shape:
A sphere but near oval
Climate:
- Neptune has an active atmosphere
- High velocity winds are present with stormy weather
- The temperature of Neptune’s temperature is at 74K
Moons:
- 13 known moons, 5 of Neptune’s moons discovered recently have yet to be named
Triton orbits in a clockwise direction unlike the other moons which does so anti-clockwise. Triton is believed to be an asteroid Neptune captured. This unusual characteristic would eventually cause Triton to slow its orbit and eventually be pulled by Neptune’s gravity. Triton is ¼ made up of water ice and the rest, of rocky substances. Triton has an thin atmosphere comprised mostly of nitrogen, a small amount of methane and a low layer of haze. Ice layers form smooth landscape while freeze and thaw form ridges. Triton too possesses volcanic activities, besides Io, Venus and Earth. The volcanoes on Triton however, spew out liquid nitrogen and they could rise to 10km in height. |
