ATMOSPHERE
| Neptune is characterized by a dark band at its equator and lighter colored temperate zones in its northern and southern hemispheres. Beneath the haze of the planet are clouds of ammonia and beneath these is a hydrogen atmosphere. Gaseous methane drifts high into Neptune's atmosphere where it freezes into ice particles. Winds sweep the planet at the rate of 400 miles per hour, and a storm system the size of Earth churns counterwise around the planet. This violent hurricane in Neptune's Southern Hemisphere is known as Great Dark Spot, which takes 18 hours to rotate. |