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Neptune sometimes called
"the blue planet" was discovered by Johann Galle and Heinrich
louis d'Arrest on September 23,1846. At first they thought it was a
star. In the 143 years after its discovery few facts were learned.
astronomers learned that Neptune is almost 3 billion miles and its day is
only 16 hours long. Neptune orbits the Sun in 165 Earth-years. Neptune has
a diameter of about 30,770 miles. it is big enough for 57 Earths to fit inside
it. winds on Neptune can reach 600 mph. While Voyager 2 was passing
Neptune it took a picture that showed a storm system almost the size
of Earth. Neptune's poisonous atmosphere contains hydrogen, helium, and methane. Voyager
2 also showed that Neptune has at least 4 rings and found 6 more to add to
the two previously discovered. Triton Neptune's largest moon is the only
moon in the solar system to orbit its planet backwards. All of the other
moons orbit the opposite way. Astronomers hope to find what Neptune's
surface is like , they also want to know if Triton was once a planet, and know
how its rings were formed.
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Quick
Facts
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Length of year: |
165
Earth years |
| Length
of day: |
16
Earth hours |
| Diameter: |
30,000miles |
| Moons: |
at least 8
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| Distance
from Sun: |
2billion,
800 million miles |
| Average
speed while orbiting the Sun: |
3½ miles per second |
| temperature: |
-360°F |
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