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The Windy Planet
Out of the sea came he!
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the sea.
-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner |
A regal dark blue, the planet Neptune, named for the Roman sea god, neatly circles around the ends of the solar system, sometimes the farthest planet out, most often not. Ninety-five times more massive than the Earth, Neptune holds court over eight satellites, which accompany the majestic planet as it
promenades an average 4.5 billion kilometers from the Sun -- so far away that more heat is generated by its core than is received on its surface. Voyager 2 is the only probe that has observed the Neptunian surface, recording the fastest-known winds in the solar system at 2000 km/h. Voyager also discovered a mysterious blue spot, a storm the size of Earth, which has recently disappeared from sight of the Hubble telescope. No missions are planned for the immediate future, but, with the number of questions raised by the first probe, some suspect that it will not be too long until a second is planned to answer them.
Quick Facts
Planetary Order from the SunEighth (Sometimes Ninth)
Average Distance from the Sun4.495 x 109 km
SizeMass: 1.0247 x 1026 kg
Diameter: 49,532 km
Density: 1,638 kg/m3
Rotation and OrbitRotation about Axis: 0.6713 Days (16.11 Hours)
Period of Revolution about Sun: 164.8 Years* (60,189 Days)
Orbital Inclination: 1.8o
Orbital Eccentricity: 0.01
* The approximation of 365.256 days per year is used.
Mean Temperature- 215oC (58 K)
Eight Satellites (Moons)Despina, Galatea, Larissa, Naiad, Nereid, Proteus, Thalassa, Triton
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Location and Orbit
The Atmosphere and
Magnetosphere
The Surface
Interior and Physical Structure
Moons and Rings
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History and Timeline
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Quiz
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